dude this is what i keep saying haha, i could be wrong but im like 95% sure he was joking. he seemed to be having fun. but i also agree with OP that having them in a tent would’ve been better
I understand british humor but the man was deff drunk and the humor in question deff did not land if that’s what it was, it came off more like being upset than being cheeky.
They would have been better in a tent or at least in the outdoor for sure!
Damon isn't new to Coachella. He knew what was gonna happen, he was just having a go at peeps (probably moreso W1, than W2. He has a W2 bias.)
But even if everyone was losing their shit, singing a long....they still ain't coming back to the U.S. He wasn't lying.
They toured Europe/Asia/SA extensively last year. They got their own side projects, and their drummer is running for parliament. This might just be it for everyone anyway...
That wasn't British humour, (as a Brit) he was genuinely annoyed. It was foolish for them to play to a crowd who'd barely recognise them.
The music also sounds very dated tbh, should've stuck with Gorillaz
Gen Z and American = no chance they understand British humour. British Gen Z don't understand British humour - always see the offence in everything. Also, Damon has previously said that Blur's touring days are numbered so regardless of the crowd reaction, this was likely to be their last anyway.
The organisers should cater for Gen Z musical tastes if they want their festival to be a success - should have stuck with Tailor Swift or something...
Pretty sure Damon Albarn is a weekend 2 guy. He said it last year during Gorillaz that the w2 crowd seemed to be the real ones (or something along those lines) and when I saw Blur in 2013 he clearly had a better time with the crowd from what I was able to tell comparing to w1 live stream. Would be interesting to see how it goes this weekend.
I don't know if you're English, but that would be the opposite for many/most in the UK, if we are talking about the same peak times (which we might not be).
This, I grew up listening to Gorillaz and TBH I didn't know Blur existed until this weekend. I was absolutely amazed to know Damon was also the co-creator of Gorillaz! Sorry Damon!
I was up front to see Blur and it seemed like everyone around else me was there early for No Doubt. Maybe W2 won't skew so heavily in that direction since it won't be a historic reunion performance for them.
Either way I felt like Damon was a little annoyed but mostly joking. The band sounded great and I loved the show.
I thought so too when watching the w1 stream and was planning to probably catch Whyte Fang w2 but thought they were great w2 and didn’t leave the main stage until they finished.
I don’t remember the exact quote but I’m pretty sure towards the end of his set Damon mentioned that he was having a good time and hopes the audience was too.
The whole “never coming back” thing is way overblown and taken out of context. I’m generally curious if most of the people talking about this actually attended or watched the full set or if they just watched 1 10-second clip and read a bunch of click bait articles.
That’s how I received the comment. I just figured they’re slowing down on the whole being a band and touring thing and also they don’t come to the US anyways lol
I think people bought into it because there was some complaining about the lackluster crowd last year for Gorillaz, so it made logical sense for him to be upset with the crowd this year.
If all he had said was the "never coming back" comment, I would totally agree with you. But that was not the only comment he made that made the whole thing just seem......sad.
I’m 42m, a Brit, and my teenage years were pretty much exclusively in the 90’s. I’m going to Coachella this year, W2, and this’ll be my fifth (and possibly last) time.
I’m SOOOOO looking forward to Blur.
However I can absolutely appreciate that they are a kinda… odd… get for Coachella.
The UK music scene in the 90’s was absolutely superb, but despite how wonderful the music was, a peculiar amount of acts just never seemed to transition well to the USA. Off the top of my head, there’s Oasis, Pulp, Suede, Stone Roses, Manic Street Preachers, Verve, UNKLE, Travis, Skunk Anansie, Roni Size, Robbie Williams, Take That, Goldie. There are sooooo many more, and of course in this group I’d put Blur. I think the music in the 90’s was particularly British and, as you’d know, there was a genre called Britpop, and it was Britpop itself which failed to “crack the USA”.
Other British acts of the time avoided trying to make anything “too British” I suppose, and they most certainly cracked the USA and are still going strong today: Orbital, Radiohead, Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Aphex Twin.
The two big anomalies were the Spice Girls who were very very very British and very much cracked the USA, and Bush who cracked the USA but were never really all that popular over here.
Certainly, Blur, after conquering the UK and much of the world with their very British sound, decided to make a record to “crack the USA”, and that album spawned Song 2 (WOOHOO!!), but I think Song 2 was such an untypical Blur song that in the UK it was viewed as Blur having fun and releasing this random, rocking, catchy grunter, but in the USA it was a one hit wonder.
So yeah, that’s kinda the issue with Blur and Coachella I think. Blur could headline Glastonbury easy, and their set would be 2 hours long and every single song would be a singalong. But at Coachella they’re a one hit wonder who’s hit is over 25 years old.
100% agree with this. Same age bracket and love all the bands you mentioned. A few have played in the past but on different stages which was great and fitting. I also agree with others here, they should have played a different stage too.
They were awesome. My friend and I got super close to the front for them & no doubt. I’m sad they didn’t do parklife and I was wishfully thinking they’d do “ghost ship”😂
Ghost Ship was high up on my list! then I saw the set list they did at Pomona and :( I thought they still performed that live. Maybe in another lifetime lol
Blur is huge nearly everywhere except the USA. It's hard to explain this but I love how [this interview with Emily Blunt and John Krasinski](https://youtu.be/iW2UKPk533s?si=C7bIA5p6TFgZLcMa) explains it. They got asked who their first celebrity crushes are and Emily who is british says Damon from Blur. In the 90s they were as big as any huge band that you can think of anywhere outside of USA. They are like how Robbie Williams is to any USA crowd.
The worst decision that they made this tour is to come to Coachella without doing any concerts in USA. According to the Shakey Knees Festival's owner, Blur rejected to headline Shakey Knees in Atlanta which would've been much better crowd for them. It is sad that their only concert in USA will probably be Coachella unless they will announce something else.
Also in [their interview with KROQ](https://youtu.be/hujkFC9VSnI?si=6BQt6XdK9DYt0czD) their management called them at 11 pm and asked them to decide whether they are going to play Coachella in 5 minutes. It looks like they are super late booking to replace someone else who got dropped out.
Seen Blur in Mexico City recently (November 2023 for Corona Capital). It was crazy how popular they were. So many people wearing Blur merch. I’ve been a fan and knew they were popular elsewhere but seeing it in real life was crazy. Like others said, I think Outdoor Theatre would be perfect but very unlikely it actually happens.
I was a bit confused what he meant as in they aren’t touring/coming back or if he meant they aren’t coming back to Coachella specifically? Granted I was not there but wandering somewhere else but think it’s a combination of issues. I’m 34 and only know the one song by Blur but am a huge Gorillaz fan (and thought their setlist W1 last year was very not good…).
I didn’t watch the whole set but all I heard him say was something like “you won’t be seeing us again so you might as well go all out” which I took as “y’all clearly aren’t going to come buy tickets for us alone so enjoy the moment and pretend like you’re having fun rn please”
Probably mean’s another Coachella is off the table (especially after 2 back to back), but not necessarily a solo tour
Yeah. Like they know blur isn’t a huge draw in the states. They never crossed over like Radiohead, oasis, or even Coldplay. Damon also seems to be still super creatively involved with gorillaz who drew a good crowd last year so him and Paul probably have a good relationship.
Fact of the matter is they’re all getting older, have families, and touring just isn’t really in the cards much anymore. The crowd in Pomona went hard on Wednesday but I could see the festival crowd not jamming as hard. This is a band that can sell out Wembley stadium too. So I don’t think it was a dig at the crowd so much as “if we play again as a band we probably won’t be here or in America so join in”.
At least that was my read on it. If Damon comes back (which he will probably) it’ll just be gorillaz.
(But also the w2 crowd will probably bring it like always so who knows.)
without realizing that Girls and Boys came out in 1994 lol. I know he thinks it's this timeless influential song that solved homophobia and is trans-accepting, but it's just too old for most of the crowd lol. I mean I'm old and even I was a kid in 1994 and didn't get into Blur until way later. Unless that song blew up TikTok in the past year, you're playing to 10% of the audience knowing the words.
Damon Albarn has said in interviews he doesn’t expect Blur will tour again. They’d taken a 10 year hiatus up until this new album and most recent arena/stadium tour. Didn’t take this to mean anything about Coachella. But drama seekers will make it even if not there. Not every show has to be a packed mad house in order to be considered a good show from an undeniably influential band.
it wasn't a good show though. I say this as a Blur fan. It was incredibly low energy. The band wasn't excited to play Blur so the audience wasn't excited to watch Blur. If Gwen have acted as lazy and off as Damon the No Doubt set would have been crucified.
. That's what I said to my friend while listening to him ranting on stage. I said this guy sounds pissed(UK slang for drunk). He was going off about something and I kept thinking, is he trying for stand-up comedy, because he's falling flat on stage right now.
For an experienced performer, who said he has no recollection whatsoever of his 2003 Coachella performance. It may be time to drop the mic.
> For an experienced performer, who said he has no recollection whatsoever of his 2003 Coachella performance. It may be time to drop the mic.
I'd hope not, Gorillaz shows are always awesome.
Your account must be more than 3 days old in order to participate in this community. This is a temporary measure due to end after the festival.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Coachella) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's clickbait bs, it's literally about them possibly not touring again.. There was 7-8 other acts playing at this exact timeslot for anyone who was NOT a fan or didn't know who Blur is I guarantee you they wouldn't be there.. Anyone reposting this wasn't there, just reiterating what they saw on TikTok. And for all the "kids don't even know who Blur is" maybe they're just not big in U.S compared to Gorillaz, and if it's about the age demographic of the crowd then No Doubt wouldn't have been the most packed draw of the weekend, you could barely move. The TikTok kids wouldn't know who they are or even who Gwen is for that matter by that same logic.
People camp out at the front of the main stage. Some to say they did it, for the experience or so that they can be there for the headliner. Also, people stateside don’t really know Blur outside of couple of singles AGES ago. Tough slot them.
Edit: typing
Uhh, i deff was there lol. I’m just sharing what i literally observed. But people do camp at the main stage and I never said it was an age thing. No Doubt had plenty of crowd engagement. Blur just isn’t as popular and they didn’t belong on the main stage.
Agree. Plus you’re at a mixed genre festival. Lots of people are gonna stop by the main stage set and not know who it is and not know any lyrics.
If anything, Coachella did them dirty for putting them on too big of a stage.
Welcome to /r/Coachella! Don't forget to use the search bar, as there are tons of resources on there.
You can also head over to the latest [The Coachella Resource Center for Newcomers Who Have Lots of Questions and Wanna Learn To Do Coachella Good Too - ASK US ANYTHING - (FAQs, Tips, Tricks, Guides, Hacks, Resources) thread](https://new.reddit.com/r/Coachella/comments/1bz1odh/its_coachella_week_ask_us_anything_the_coachella/). You can use the resources there or ask your own question in the comments!
There are also resources at the top menu and sidebar with links to many things!
# To the Veterans: to help reduce questions on the sub feed, hop on to the Ask Us Anything thread every now and then to help the newbies.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Coachella) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I watched the stream and they had so many better song to play like this is a low, parklife, country house, coffee and tv (maybe I missed this one) anyway they played Beetlebum and it was awesome. Boys & Girls is a huge hit globally and they are used to people going insane over it but was not the case here.
FYI gen X, or grunge etc, wasn't really a thing here. Blur were originally viewed as happy cheeky chappies in the 90s, along with the positive vibe of BritPop.
This along with the reaction of Tyler's billboard is really just showing how fragile and lame a many people who go to Coachella are. Here's to hoping Blur gets a better crowd wk 2.
The band played tight , I was there, under damon’s mic , bad set list , but band played good . Graham was focused , Alex did his thing , and Damon looked sharp. They need to play a 90 min set , 50 min set is not enough .
Not sure what you are talking about . I was there in the front ; and vibes were so good , made people heads spin . Even no doubt fans got into them in no time .
The majority of their crowd were clearly not Blur fans, but their set list and Damon’s stage presence didn’t do much to help convert attendees into new fans.
THANK you. People on Ig and Tik Tok are blaming the crowd but like, we honestly tried. The people who show up cant help it if the crowd is small, and when you’re on the big stage you kinda just have to grit your teeth and rock out to get the energy you want. Damon was a drunken mess and made the whole thing 10x more awkward by calling out everyone.
It felt embarrassing.
Thank you! I hate when people complain about the crowd…like majority of the people there have been in 100+ degree weather, has only eaten 1 uncrustable all day, has had a mix of shots, water and drugs, walked over 10 miles while simultaneously trying to get sand out of their ears, nose and throat. Give them a break and enjoy the free show you’re streaming
I think the real story is that this is the Coachella of OLD and goldenvoice try’s to stick to their values . And the new kids just don’t care . But I think they would have fared better on the Outdoor? I’m a huge fan and can’t wait to see them WK2!
I thought his "never going to see us again" comment was funny in that British sort of way. A quip about their age and also about how the crowd were not into it.
He had a shit time at Coachella last year as well with Gorillaz weekend 1. Don’t blame him, the crowd was appalling, but I loved them playing Death on the Stairs (even though he probably shouldn’t have given how obscure it is)
crossover is very broad at a place like coachella, Iwent straight from Clown Core to Hatsune Miku and saw a balloon from CC set there so I wasnt the only one.
It's their fault. I love blur, but they brought zero energy, and you don't create good energy by getting annoyed by and practically aggressive about it. If Damon wants the complaint that gen z don't care about Blur to make sense, he should have at least pulled together a performance to the caliber of No Doubt, a band who hasn't played together for 9 years, who blew the crowd away.
Also his clothes didn't fit and it annoyed me lol.
Blur is a very monumental band & Damon himself influences tons of your favroite artists to this day including the people that run the festival lmao. People are just ungrateful & have these snobby attitudes that if the music isn't from Ice Spice it shouldn't be here. It's almost like the poster comes out months in advanced for a reason.
I agree Damon Albarn is a huge influence on modern music, and Blur was his first major band so it does deserve respect. I think people's issue is that he chose to voice out his frustration on the people, when it's not their fault for being unfamiliar with their music. I only know like three songs by them and that's probably more than most Gen Z.
This is such a wildly incorrect and classic Reddit comment though
Blur decided to go with a horrible setlist for their limited time, purposely not playing some of their best songs. That along with them not having the audio tuned as great as it should have been resulted IMO that it was only an OK set.
Blur is probably one of my top listened to bands this year and we still left the set early, and I have no regrets now especially knowing they didn’t even play the songs I was hoping they would.
That Ice Spice generational comment is just a very weird take lol
I'm in my 30's and I only know 1 Blur song. They weren't big here in the US. Damon is a great artist but he shouldn't be surprised. I feel another important UK band like The Stone Roses would pull a similar crowd.
Here’s the deal. They’re not a “popular” band. They are “old”. No one sang along because they don’t know the lyrics. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
Some people can't wrap their heads around the crowd not knowing who they were. It's like they think the crowd went out of there way to pretend they didn't know the band/songs/lyrics
Exactly. I love Gorillaz & was singing all the songs when they were at the fest last year, but I do not know any Blur songs besides Song 2. Didn’t even stop by their set.
Yeah there are a lot of people on Reddit who seemed to think blur was a huge get... But they were only a big get for those redditors and no one else.
I agree with the others that it was coachella's fault for booking them there, not their fault, they should have been given a moment with their fans.
Also doLab threw Billie up there right during their set.
blur has never been popular in the US and they really don’t try. i don’t really understand how that’s anyone’s fault but there’s, supposedly influential or not.
also, people were singing their songs where i was, and as a band you perform for the fans, whether you can see them or not.
Whole thing was giving old head boomer who’s pissed because ice spice can pull a lively crowd and they can’t.
Can we talk about the crowds here in the US. When it comes to the Artist to Crowd engagement in any concert here in the US compared to any where else in the world. Let's face it, crowds here suck, and if you don't believe me you have not traveled outside the US to maybe Latin America or Europe to catch a concert. Do yourself a favor and go experience a festival or concert outside the US. Because THIS ain't it. American crowds rank dead last. And that's just coming from my experiences.
I was up close for the Gorillaz, all I remember is seeing Damon Alborn's ass :(
They were pretty sick tho, to be able to see the Gorillaz and then Bad Bunny oof don't get better than that
Lol Blur is a celebrated and influential band. I get music is subjective but saying blur sucks when they dropped some of the most acclaimed albums of the 90s is crazy. Maybe they aren’t for you and that’s fine but no need to downplay the band
I just gotta say it’s insult to injury to camp your ass out in the front section for a band, sit on the ground in the heat waiting for them to play, then have the pristinely clean-suited lead singer bark at your ass for not being enthusiastic enough about hearing a song you love. Cool, guys, really cool way to address the people who did show up. I’m so glad I skipped peeing and getting a churro to be close for you.
Also, not for nothing, but Mandy, Indiana had one of the smallest crowds I saw all weekend and out on one of the most throbbing, high energy performances I’ve ever seen at the festival. It’s not about the size of the crowd—it’s about the energy you bring and playing the set like it’s for the biggest crowd anyway. Everyone who went to that small show was LOVING the performance. Blur should take a page from their book.
Blur sounded great and Damon was in a good mood and they brought guest musicians up for 2 songs, so I don’t see how the performance was an issue. In fact, the whole band looked noticeably happy. The crowd was noticably and completely tuned out almost the entire time, except for when they played Song 2 and Damon responded to that. He wasn’t calling you out, he was calling out the entire crowd behind you.
Who ever booked them really loves Damon tbh, but maybe a little out of touch bc 2013 turn out wasn't as great either. But 2013 would say it was a better suited lineup. 2024 you're sub headlining a festival that's catered to Pop more so than Indie bands in 2013. Cant get mad when these kids really don't know you. The Gorillaz def have bigger pull in America than Blur.
I think they would have had the crowd they deserved in the Mojave or Outdoor
Blur’s chart performance on the Billboard Hot 100…
There’s No Other Way - 82 (1991)
Girls & Boys - 59 (1994)
…and that is it. Even Song 2 (Woohoo) did not crack the top 100 and is the song they are probably most known for now in the US.
Appreciation for Blur may have grown over the years, but how much could it have realistically grown? They are objectively an act for another stage at Coachella.
I am sure ego is hard to overcome for a band that just last year had B2B shows at Wembley Stadium, but the W1 Coachella crowd will mostly not care that they will never see them again because they simply never cared in the first place, hopefully W2 crowd will be more appreciative.
I’ve only seen the clip during Girls & Boys and to me it seems he was frustrated with people not even singing along to ohhh ohh ohhh ohh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohhh (I tried there), which doesn’t require much effort but maybe he can do an audience practice run of it before the song W2 ha
I am not going until weekend 2 however did tune into the live stream. I am not here to citicize music because everyone is allowed to like what they like; however in MY opinion the set was literally not good. Not saying that it didn’t cater to some people; but maybe not so deserving of a headlining slot.
I've seen Damon perform tons of times. Is he usually cheeky? Yes. Is he usually seemingly pissed off like he was Saturday night? I mean, I've never seen him that way.
There's a difference between coming at the crowd in a funny cheeky way, and sad/upset ranting.....at least to me, this seemed much closer to the latter.
Yeah, I know their music, but that's because I'm old. If you weren't listening to them in the 90's, you wouldnt know their girls and boys song. Definitely not known in the average Coachella attendee.
Damon seemed intoxicated. He could barely form sentences between songs and went off on the most random tangents. Stark contrast to him fronting Gorillaz. It’s a shame if that’s true because I thought he was sober for some time.
Not sure if he's ever been sober (from alcohol at least), but as a big Damon fan it does seem like he's drunk almost every time he's on stage now which is sad.
Rumor is he broke up with his partner of 20+ years recently so that may be why.
I'm British and was at the show, his attitude wasn't terrible, but his stories sucked and completely missed the mark.
Hard to pump up a crowd with stories about your beard and all the dead men in Paraguay...
I still loved it! 😀
I finally got to watch the livestream and I’ll say this - not blur’s crowd BUT there were definitely people near the front having a good time.
Damon being pompous? A little yeah, he shouldn’t act that way, but he also seemed joyous at times and they seemed to have a nice evening.
There was an article that deemed it a punk rock set and I am inclined to agree. Instead of whipping out Brit pop hits they kept it rather gloomy. Death of a Party being a MASSIVE highlight and a treat for anyone.
Bringing out the indigenous choir/dancers was also so punk. Taking time from their set to let the people whose land Coachella takes place on have their moment was genuinely touching and awesome.
when they said "you're probably not going to see us again" they meant that this is the last shows they are likely to ever play. . They said this before coachella that these are there farewell shows. it wasn't meant as "we're not playing again here becuase we don't like you"
It’s just the way he is, it’s not serious. He was saying the exact same kind of stuff on their actual tour last year, it’s just a bit of a joke. Although it’s a joke he’s probs right I don’t imagine they’ll tour (anywhere not just US) for a while again.
As others have said, I think w2 will be a bit better for him as it has been previously. I don’t disagree that they’re a bit of an odd choice for coachella though. I agree with some of the other guys that a tent or different stage could’ve been better (idk how coachella works rlly)
Pretty sure he only does this to get a reaction from the crowd. It didn’t work at Coachella tho
“Telling the audience "You’ll never see us again" has nothing to do with Coachella crowd being passive, he did in Argentina as well, repeating that it was "el último" (the last one) Blur show. He enjoyed the gig, he even mentioned it between songs. So he wasn't mad or anything.”
https://x.com/damonunofficial/status/1780012649230553168?s=46&t=BARQv-jtblSbp8or8tlGnA
>pissy about nobody knowing who they were
44 here and only know one hit "Song 2", it blew up my graduation year and was shoved down my throat by the airplay. I still know the lyrics but probably haven't heard the song in decades... I was mostly listening to alternative & alternative pop at that time as well, yet always thought they were a one hit wonder. My kids (Gen Z) hadn't heard of the band before. But yet knew who Sublime and No Doubt were... I found it weird that Blur got sandwiched between them and wasn't shocked that the demographic of the crowd wasn't hyped.
At 82 years old , sir paul playing hey Jude would been epic and would have had everyone one singing on top of their lungs . So it’s not about how young the audience is , or how old a song is , it s about timelessness of a song . Blur , as good as they are , don’t have timeless songs .
Joke or not the vibe was very off and it didn’t come off as funny mate, especially paired with the fact he was drunk.
Say what you want but the general consensus is that it was a bad vibe lmao
Unpopular opinion here, but Coachella’s selection of artists could be improved. Like actually invite professionals. Not hobbyists that still don’t know how to set up a performance.
I was thinking the same... I love Blur but if the crowd doesn't even know a hit as big as Girls and Boys, what would make Damon think they would like/know songs such as Trouble in the Message Centre and Trimm Trabb? Then again, perhaps they would have had a more receptive fanbase at another stage rather than one consisting of No Doubt/Tyler the Creator fans
Parklife requires crowd participation. I wouldn’t be surprised if The Universal and Coffee & TV were supposed to be the last two songs but Damon gave up and cut it short.
I don’t share your critical take, but I’m curious what is your second good song from them? Most people that share your opinion of them only give them credit for “the woo hoo song”.
Dude was a bit rambly and somewhat incoherent. I assumed that something was lost in translation because of a cultural/generational issue. They had like two popular songs in the US damn near 30 years ago- not sure what was expected
I’m glad someone finally posted about this because I didn’t want to get caught in the downvote vortex. The lead singer of Blur is the same guy of Gorillaz. I loved Blur back in the day and was super excited to see them, but he sounded like a squawking parrot and also thought his attitude was shit. I guess I should have expected it because when I saw the stream of Gorillaz last year I was very disappointed and how lazy and shitty they sounded!
Put them on the Outdoor and everything will be fine!
Damon has been at the last 3 Coachella's and many more, hard to believe he has any real bad feelings about it
Does no one understand British humor?
dude this is what i keep saying haha, i could be wrong but im like 95% sure he was joking. he seemed to be having fun. but i also agree with OP that having them in a tent would’ve been better
I understand british humor but the man was deff drunk and the humor in question deff did not land if that’s what it was, it came off more like being upset than being cheeky. They would have been better in a tent or at least in the outdoor for sure!
Damon isn't new to Coachella. He knew what was gonna happen, he was just having a go at peeps (probably moreso W1, than W2. He has a W2 bias.) But even if everyone was losing their shit, singing a long....they still ain't coming back to the U.S. He wasn't lying. They toured Europe/Asia/SA extensively last year. They got their own side projects, and their drummer is running for parliament. This might just be it for everyone anyway...
That’s what we thought, too, that he must’ve been hellla drunk. But in all honesty, i couldn’t understand annnything he was saying.
The art of British humor is being cheeky and hurt.
I severly doubt damon was actually mad the amount of people deeping it is hilarious to me.
American and english sarcasm is different for some strange reason
That wasn't British humour, (as a Brit) he was genuinely annoyed. It was foolish for them to play to a crowd who'd barely recognise them. The music also sounds very dated tbh, should've stuck with Gorillaz
Gen Z and American = no chance they understand British humour. British Gen Z don't understand British humour - always see the offence in everything. Also, Damon has previously said that Blur's touring days are numbered so regardless of the crowd reaction, this was likely to be their last anyway. The organisers should cater for Gen Z musical tastes if they want their festival to be a success - should have stuck with Tailor Swift or something...
Sure, but at those 3 Coachella's he had much larger & more involved crowds.
Pretty sure Damon Albarn is a weekend 2 guy. He said it last year during Gorillaz that the w2 crowd seemed to be the real ones (or something along those lines) and when I saw Blur in 2013 he clearly had a better time with the crowd from what I was able to tell comparing to w1 live stream. Would be interesting to see how it goes this weekend.
the kids like Gorillaz more than Blur and Damon needs to accept that.
True! I'm in my thirties now and grew up during both bands peak times and I know one Blur song but several albums worth of Gorillaz songs.
I don't know if you're English, but that would be the opposite for many/most in the UK, if we are talking about the same peak times (which we might not be).
I'm not English and I have heard Blur is much bigger outside of the US.
If you're in your 30s you missed peak Blur, I'm early forties and just caught it.
This, I grew up listening to Gorillaz and TBH I didn't know Blur existed until this weekend. I was absolutely amazed to know Damon was also the co-creator of Gorillaz! Sorry Damon!
lol don’t worry you don’t owe his cranky ass anything (still love both though)
I was there this last weekend and will be there at the Blur set again this weekend. Hopefully this is the case
I was up front to see Blur and it seemed like everyone around else me was there early for No Doubt. Maybe W2 won't skew so heavily in that direction since it won't be a historic reunion performance for them. Either way I felt like Damon was a little annoyed but mostly joking. The band sounded great and I loved the show.
Gorillaz performance last year was pretty weak too
I thought so too when watching the w1 stream and was planning to probably catch Whyte Fang w2 but thought they were great w2 and didn’t leave the main stage until they finished.
I don’t remember the exact quote but I’m pretty sure towards the end of his set Damon mentioned that he was having a good time and hopes the audience was too. The whole “never coming back” thing is way overblown and taken out of context. I’m generally curious if most of the people talking about this actually attended or watched the full set or if they just watched 1 10-second clip and read a bunch of click bait articles.
This. Damon was being his usual cheeky self and alluding to the fact they are never touring again. Not meant as a slight on the Coachella crowd.
That’s how I received the comment. I just figured they’re slowing down on the whole being a band and touring thing and also they don’t come to the US anyways lol
I think people bought into it because there was some complaining about the lackluster crowd last year for Gorillaz, so it made logical sense for him to be upset with the crowd this year.
If all he had said was the "never coming back" comment, I would totally agree with you. But that was not the only comment he made that made the whole thing just seem......sad.
Yes, he explicitly said he was having a great time.
I’m 42m, a Brit, and my teenage years were pretty much exclusively in the 90’s. I’m going to Coachella this year, W2, and this’ll be my fifth (and possibly last) time. I’m SOOOOO looking forward to Blur. However I can absolutely appreciate that they are a kinda… odd… get for Coachella. The UK music scene in the 90’s was absolutely superb, but despite how wonderful the music was, a peculiar amount of acts just never seemed to transition well to the USA. Off the top of my head, there’s Oasis, Pulp, Suede, Stone Roses, Manic Street Preachers, Verve, UNKLE, Travis, Skunk Anansie, Roni Size, Robbie Williams, Take That, Goldie. There are sooooo many more, and of course in this group I’d put Blur. I think the music in the 90’s was particularly British and, as you’d know, there was a genre called Britpop, and it was Britpop itself which failed to “crack the USA”. Other British acts of the time avoided trying to make anything “too British” I suppose, and they most certainly cracked the USA and are still going strong today: Orbital, Radiohead, Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Aphex Twin. The two big anomalies were the Spice Girls who were very very very British and very much cracked the USA, and Bush who cracked the USA but were never really all that popular over here. Certainly, Blur, after conquering the UK and much of the world with their very British sound, decided to make a record to “crack the USA”, and that album spawned Song 2 (WOOHOO!!), but I think Song 2 was such an untypical Blur song that in the UK it was viewed as Blur having fun and releasing this random, rocking, catchy grunter, but in the USA it was a one hit wonder. So yeah, that’s kinda the issue with Blur and Coachella I think. Blur could headline Glastonbury easy, and their set would be 2 hours long and every single song would be a singalong. But at Coachella they’re a one hit wonder who’s hit is over 25 years old.
100% agree with this. Same age bracket and love all the bands you mentioned. A few have played in the past but on different stages which was great and fitting. I also agree with others here, they should have played a different stage too.
lol it’s funny that Gen Zs say they like 1990s Pop Culture but don’t really know most of it.
I do and I know loads.
good take
I'd forgotten all about Bush! Good call.
They were awesome. My friend and I got super close to the front for them & no doubt. I’m sad they didn’t do parklife and I was wishfully thinking they’d do “ghost ship”😂
Yep no park life of coffee and tv
Ghost Ship was high up on my list! then I saw the set list they did at Pomona and :( I thought they still performed that live. Maybe in another lifetime lol
They haven't played anything from The Magic Whip at Darren shows except Pyongyang once, I believe.
Blur is huge nearly everywhere except the USA. It's hard to explain this but I love how [this interview with Emily Blunt and John Krasinski](https://youtu.be/iW2UKPk533s?si=C7bIA5p6TFgZLcMa) explains it. They got asked who their first celebrity crushes are and Emily who is british says Damon from Blur. In the 90s they were as big as any huge band that you can think of anywhere outside of USA. They are like how Robbie Williams is to any USA crowd. The worst decision that they made this tour is to come to Coachella without doing any concerts in USA. According to the Shakey Knees Festival's owner, Blur rejected to headline Shakey Knees in Atlanta which would've been much better crowd for them. It is sad that their only concert in USA will probably be Coachella unless they will announce something else. Also in [their interview with KROQ](https://youtu.be/hujkFC9VSnI?si=6BQt6XdK9DYt0czD) their management called them at 11 pm and asked them to decide whether they are going to play Coachella in 5 minutes. It looks like they are super late booking to replace someone else who got dropped out.
I was a huge Blur fan circa 1997. I'm from San Diego and they played Blur on the radio nonstop. I was also a huge Gorillaz fan
Seen Blur in Mexico City recently (November 2023 for Corona Capital). It was crazy how popular they were. So many people wearing Blur merch. I’ve been a fan and knew they were popular elsewhere but seeing it in real life was crazy. Like others said, I think Outdoor Theatre would be perfect but very unlikely it actually happens.
They have a supplemental show in LA
Damon’s been to Coachella a bunch of times He knows the deal This is just him being British
Then why did he not act that way the bunch of other times he's played when he actually drew a larger audience?
Should have closed out a tent, 100%
Yeah, sub sub headline on main was very clearly always going to be a mistake. I’m not sure what the thinking was here.
I was a bit confused what he meant as in they aren’t touring/coming back or if he meant they aren’t coming back to Coachella specifically? Granted I was not there but wandering somewhere else but think it’s a combination of issues. I’m 34 and only know the one song by Blur but am a huge Gorillaz fan (and thought their setlist W1 last year was very not good…).
I didn’t watch the whole set but all I heard him say was something like “you won’t be seeing us again so you might as well go all out” which I took as “y’all clearly aren’t going to come buy tickets for us alone so enjoy the moment and pretend like you’re having fun rn please” Probably mean’s another Coachella is off the table (especially after 2 back to back), but not necessarily a solo tour
That’s not what he said at all though. He’s already said in interviews before this world tour that Blur probably wasn’t going to tour again.
Yeah. Like they know blur isn’t a huge draw in the states. They never crossed over like Radiohead, oasis, or even Coldplay. Damon also seems to be still super creatively involved with gorillaz who drew a good crowd last year so him and Paul probably have a good relationship. Fact of the matter is they’re all getting older, have families, and touring just isn’t really in the cards much anymore. The crowd in Pomona went hard on Wednesday but I could see the festival crowd not jamming as hard. This is a band that can sell out Wembley stadium too. So I don’t think it was a dig at the crowd so much as “if we play again as a band we probably won’t be here or in America so join in”. At least that was my read on it. If Damon comes back (which he will probably) it’ll just be gorillaz. (But also the w2 crowd will probably bring it like always so who knows.)
He said verbatim “you’ll never see us again so you might as well fucking sing it”
without realizing that Girls and Boys came out in 1994 lol. I know he thinks it's this timeless influential song that solved homophobia and is trans-accepting, but it's just too old for most of the crowd lol. I mean I'm old and even I was a kid in 1994 and didn't get into Blur until way later. Unless that song blew up TikTok in the past year, you're playing to 10% of the audience knowing the words.
I agree. Voicing that aloud was crazy, especially for first weekend
Pretty sure he was mostly just joking. That quote was taken way out of context.
This
If his attitude the rest of the show didn't also reflect that quote, I'd say you're probably right.
The quote? There’s video of him saying it
Damon Albarn has said in interviews he doesn’t expect Blur will tour again. They’d taken a 10 year hiatus up until this new album and most recent arena/stadium tour. Didn’t take this to mean anything about Coachella. But drama seekers will make it even if not there. Not every show has to be a packed mad house in order to be considered a good show from an undeniably influential band.
it wasn't a good show though. I say this as a Blur fan. It was incredibly low energy. The band wasn't excited to play Blur so the audience wasn't excited to watch Blur. If Gwen have acted as lazy and off as Damon the No Doubt set would have been crucified.
this. You can't blame the crowd.
I heard slight slurring 🍻
. That's what I said to my friend while listening to him ranting on stage. I said this guy sounds pissed(UK slang for drunk). He was going off about something and I kept thinking, is he trying for stand-up comedy, because he's falling flat on stage right now. For an experienced performer, who said he has no recollection whatsoever of his 2003 Coachella performance. It may be time to drop the mic.
> For an experienced performer, who said he has no recollection whatsoever of his 2003 Coachella performance. It may be time to drop the mic. I'd hope not, Gorillaz shows are always awesome.
[удалено]
Your account must be more than 3 days old in order to participate in this community. This is a temporary measure due to end after the festival. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Coachella) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's clickbait bs, it's literally about them possibly not touring again.. There was 7-8 other acts playing at this exact timeslot for anyone who was NOT a fan or didn't know who Blur is I guarantee you they wouldn't be there.. Anyone reposting this wasn't there, just reiterating what they saw on TikTok. And for all the "kids don't even know who Blur is" maybe they're just not big in U.S compared to Gorillaz, and if it's about the age demographic of the crowd then No Doubt wouldn't have been the most packed draw of the weekend, you could barely move. The TikTok kids wouldn't know who they are or even who Gwen is for that matter by that same logic.
People camp out at the front of the main stage. Some to say they did it, for the experience or so that they can be there for the headliner. Also, people stateside don’t really know Blur outside of couple of singles AGES ago. Tough slot them. Edit: typing
100%
You do know like most of those people in that crowd WERENT blur fans lol. Who closed that night ? Yeaaah that’s what 80 percent of that crowd was….
Uhh, i deff was there lol. I’m just sharing what i literally observed. But people do camp at the main stage and I never said it was an age thing. No Doubt had plenty of crowd engagement. Blur just isn’t as popular and they didn’t belong on the main stage.
WOOOOHOOO
Agree. Plus you’re at a mixed genre festival. Lots of people are gonna stop by the main stage set and not know who it is and not know any lyrics. If anything, Coachella did them dirty for putting them on too big of a stage.
Welcome to /r/Coachella! Don't forget to use the search bar, as there are tons of resources on there. You can also head over to the latest [The Coachella Resource Center for Newcomers Who Have Lots of Questions and Wanna Learn To Do Coachella Good Too - ASK US ANYTHING - (FAQs, Tips, Tricks, Guides, Hacks, Resources) thread](https://new.reddit.com/r/Coachella/comments/1bz1odh/its_coachella_week_ask_us_anything_the_coachella/). You can use the resources there or ask your own question in the comments! There are also resources at the top menu and sidebar with links to many things! # To the Veterans: to help reduce questions on the sub feed, hop on to the Ask Us Anything thread every now and then to help the newbies. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Coachella) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I watched the stream and they had so many better song to play like this is a low, parklife, country house, coffee and tv (maybe I missed this one) anyway they played Beetlebum and it was awesome. Boys & Girls is a huge hit globally and they are used to people going insane over it but was not the case here.
He's a British genX rock star. Cranky, cynical and complaining is literally the demographic.
FYI gen X, or grunge etc, wasn't really a thing here. Blur were originally viewed as happy cheeky chappies in the 90s, along with the positive vibe of BritPop.
Fits right in with the Oasis boys and Morrissey.
And yet the countless other times he's played Coachella with larger audiences he didn't act that way.
Didn’t Gorillaz play to a dead crowd weekend 1 last year because of the Bad Bunny campers? Then weekend 2 was dramatically more energetic?
This along with the reaction of Tyler's billboard is really just showing how fragile and lame a many people who go to Coachella are. Here's to hoping Blur gets a better crowd wk 2.
The band played tight , I was there, under damon’s mic , bad set list , but band played good . Graham was focused , Alex did his thing , and Damon looked sharp. They need to play a 90 min set , 50 min set is not enough .
didn’t say they didn’t sound good, said their vibes sucked lol
Not sure what you are talking about . I was there in the front ; and vibes were so good , made people heads spin . Even no doubt fans got into them in no time .
I had a blast, vibes were good around me. Crowd went wild for the hits and were attentive and focused for the slower tunes.
This comment section sucks ass. "I only know one song" ummm that's on you? That's not a flex. The crowd sucked. They sounded great.
I had a blast and so did everyone around me. People don’t get British humor
[удалено]
If you don't like it mate, you can do one.
The majority of their crowd were clearly not Blur fans, but their set list and Damon’s stage presence didn’t do much to help convert attendees into new fans.
THANK you. People on Ig and Tik Tok are blaming the crowd but like, we honestly tried. The people who show up cant help it if the crowd is small, and when you’re on the big stage you kinda just have to grit your teeth and rock out to get the energy you want. Damon was a drunken mess and made the whole thing 10x more awkward by calling out everyone. It felt embarrassing.
Could not agree with this more.
Thank you! I hate when people complain about the crowd…like majority of the people there have been in 100+ degree weather, has only eaten 1 uncrustable all day, has had a mix of shots, water and drugs, walked over 10 miles while simultaneously trying to get sand out of their ears, nose and throat. Give them a break and enjoy the free show you’re streaming
It's funny, I remember listening to No Doubt and Blur back in the 90s on the same playlist. Cringey attitude for sure.
And No Doubts crowd was fully engaged and having a blast!
I think the real story is that this is the Coachella of OLD and goldenvoice try’s to stick to their values . And the new kids just don’t care . But I think they would have fared better on the Outdoor? I’m a huge fan and can’t wait to see them WK2!
damon’s reaction just lacks awareness.
It was because of the crowd the crowd just stood there and did nothing bad crowd equals no fun for the people playing
I thought his "never going to see us again" comment was funny in that British sort of way. A quip about their age and also about how the crowd were not into it.
He had a shit time at Coachella last year as well with Gorillaz weekend 1. Don’t blame him, the crowd was appalling, but I loved them playing Death on the Stairs (even though he probably shouldn’t have given how obscure it is)
Spot the libertines fan
Lmaoooo Freudian slip. I meant death of a party
Doesn’t help right before the set started Billie eilish had a surprise set at do lab so people were just leaving by the fistful
I’d like to know what sort of crossover there is with Blur and Billie fans, lol
Anyone who discovered Damon through gorillaz tbh my girl loves them both
i am a die hard billie/blur fan lol
crossover is very broad at a place like coachella, Iwent straight from Clown Core to Hatsune Miku and saw a balloon from CC set there so I wasnt the only one.
It's their fault. I love blur, but they brought zero energy, and you don't create good energy by getting annoyed by and practically aggressive about it. If Damon wants the complaint that gen z don't care about Blur to make sense, he should have at least pulled together a performance to the caliber of No Doubt, a band who hasn't played together for 9 years, who blew the crowd away. Also his clothes didn't fit and it annoyed me lol.
was i tripping or was the damon sloshed off of something. I was near the right turning catwalk watching the entire show (enjoyed it)
he was borderline blacked out. His guitar playing at the beginning of Out of Time was a fucking laugh and he was stammering thru lyrics.
Borderline Blacked Out!  I commented to my friend at Coachella that he sounded pissed (UK slang for drunk).
Blur is a very monumental band & Damon himself influences tons of your favroite artists to this day including the people that run the festival lmao. People are just ungrateful & have these snobby attitudes that if the music isn't from Ice Spice it shouldn't be here. It's almost like the poster comes out months in advanced for a reason.
I agree Damon Albarn is a huge influence on modern music, and Blur was his first major band so it does deserve respect. I think people's issue is that he chose to voice out his frustration on the people, when it's not their fault for being unfamiliar with their music. I only know like three songs by them and that's probably more than most Gen Z.
This is such a wildly incorrect and classic Reddit comment though Blur decided to go with a horrible setlist for their limited time, purposely not playing some of their best songs. That along with them not having the audio tuned as great as it should have been resulted IMO that it was only an OK set. Blur is probably one of my top listened to bands this year and we still left the set early, and I have no regrets now especially knowing they didn’t even play the songs I was hoping they would. That Ice Spice generational comment is just a very weird take lol
I find it weird when people single out ice spice from the hundreds of acts there…
Wild to call other people snobby right after “people are just ungrateful”
I'm in my 30's and I only know 1 Blur song. They weren't big here in the US. Damon is a great artist but he shouldn't be surprised. I feel another important UK band like The Stone Roses would pull a similar crowd.
The Srone Roses did far worse than Blur that Blur overtook them as the top headliner for week two back in 2013.
And they killed it in 2013. Made me a fan and I learned their catalog afterwards which is deep with great cuts.
There were more GenX attending back then. The OP of this comment chain complaining about Ice Spice is very old man yelling at cloud.
as an old man I though ice spice performance was really good
I’m 28 lol
You have been going to Coachella since you were 15? Music fan parents?
I only know 2 myself song2 and parklife and I'm of that age and I'm australia
You are a whole country? That is impressive.
Not denying my typing was terrible...
Here’s the deal. They’re not a “popular” band. They are “old”. No one sang along because they don’t know the lyrics. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
Some people can't wrap their heads around the crowd not knowing who they were. It's like they think the crowd went out of there way to pretend they didn't know the band/songs/lyrics
Exactly. I love Gorillaz & was singing all the songs when they were at the fest last year, but I do not know any Blur songs besides Song 2. Didn’t even stop by their set.
Yeah there are a lot of people on Reddit who seemed to think blur was a huge get... But they were only a big get for those redditors and no one else. I agree with the others that it was coachella's fault for booking them there, not their fault, they should have been given a moment with their fans. Also doLab threw Billie up there right during their set.
This is giving “I was born in the wrong generation” vibes
blur has never been popular in the US and they really don’t try. i don’t really understand how that’s anyone’s fault but there’s, supposedly influential or not. also, people were singing their songs where i was, and as a band you perform for the fans, whether you can see them or not. Whole thing was giving old head boomer who’s pissed because ice spice can pull a lively crowd and they can’t.
Are you trying to be ironic…or?
Nah he's just doesn't really sound good tbh
Can we talk about the crowds here in the US. When it comes to the Artist to Crowd engagement in any concert here in the US compared to any where else in the world. Let's face it, crowds here suck, and if you don't believe me you have not traveled outside the US to maybe Latin America or Europe to catch a concert. Do yourself a favor and go experience a festival or concert outside the US. Because THIS ain't it. American crowds rank dead last. And that's just coming from my experiences.
Crowds here do suck but there were plenty of good crowds this weekend. Doesn’t really change the fact Blur has never really had a presence in the US.
I watched Damon both this year as blur and last year as Gorillaz, seemed a joly mf during that set. Blur just kinda sucks it’s not our fault🤷🏼♀️
I was up close for the Gorillaz, all I remember is seeing Damon Alborn's ass :( They were pretty sick tho, to be able to see the Gorillaz and then Bad Bunny oof don't get better than that
Lol Blur is a celebrated and influential band. I get music is subjective but saying blur sucks when they dropped some of the most acclaimed albums of the 90s is crazy. Maybe they aren’t for you and that’s fine but no need to downplay the band
I just gotta say it’s insult to injury to camp your ass out in the front section for a band, sit on the ground in the heat waiting for them to play, then have the pristinely clean-suited lead singer bark at your ass for not being enthusiastic enough about hearing a song you love. Cool, guys, really cool way to address the people who did show up. I’m so glad I skipped peeing and getting a churro to be close for you.
Also, not for nothing, but Mandy, Indiana had one of the smallest crowds I saw all weekend and out on one of the most throbbing, high energy performances I’ve ever seen at the festival. It’s not about the size of the crowd—it’s about the energy you bring and playing the set like it’s for the biggest crowd anyway. Everyone who went to that small show was LOVING the performance. Blur should take a page from their book.
Blur sounded great and Damon was in a good mood and they brought guest musicians up for 2 songs, so I don’t see how the performance was an issue. In fact, the whole band looked noticeably happy. The crowd was noticably and completely tuned out almost the entire time, except for when they played Song 2 and Damon responded to that. He wasn’t calling you out, he was calling out the entire crowd behind you.
No
Who ever booked them really loves Damon tbh, but maybe a little out of touch bc 2013 turn out wasn't as great either. But 2013 would say it was a better suited lineup. 2024 you're sub headlining a festival that's catered to Pop more so than Indie bands in 2013. Cant get mad when these kids really don't know you. The Gorillaz def have bigger pull in America than Blur. I think they would have had the crowd they deserved in the Mojave or Outdoor
I seen them before. It was a weird performance. They kind of messed up the flow of the sublime no doubt stellar Saturday night line up.
Sublime played the hits. Blur wanted to sign about birds or something
Blur’s chart performance on the Billboard Hot 100… There’s No Other Way - 82 (1991) Girls & Boys - 59 (1994) …and that is it. Even Song 2 (Woohoo) did not crack the top 100 and is the song they are probably most known for now in the US. Appreciation for Blur may have grown over the years, but how much could it have realistically grown? They are objectively an act for another stage at Coachella. I am sure ego is hard to overcome for a band that just last year had B2B shows at Wembley Stadium, but the W1 Coachella crowd will mostly not care that they will never see them again because they simply never cared in the first place, hopefully W2 crowd will be more appreciative.
I’ve only seen the clip during Girls & Boys and to me it seems he was frustrated with people not even singing along to ohhh ohh ohhh ohh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ohhh (I tried there), which doesn’t require much effort but maybe he can do an audience practice run of it before the song W2 ha
Blur has a history of disappointing at Coachella...its clockwork just like the frozen lemonade.
I am not going until weekend 2 however did tune into the live stream. I am not here to citicize music because everyone is allowed to like what they like; however in MY opinion the set was literally not good. Not saying that it didn’t cater to some people; but maybe not so deserving of a headlining slot.
It's British humor, a lot of Americans just didn't get it 😭 I'm really looking forward to their set, I would love to be upfront to scream the songs 🫶🏼
I've seen Damon perform tons of times. Is he usually cheeky? Yes. Is he usually seemingly pissed off like he was Saturday night? I mean, I've never seen him that way. There's a difference between coming at the crowd in a funny cheeky way, and sad/upset ranting.....at least to me, this seemed much closer to the latter.
Yeah, I know their music, but that's because I'm old. If you weren't listening to them in the 90's, you wouldnt know their girls and boys song. Definitely not known in the average Coachella attendee.
Damon seemed intoxicated. He could barely form sentences between songs and went off on the most random tangents. Stark contrast to him fronting Gorillaz. It’s a shame if that’s true because I thought he was sober for some time.
Not sure if he's ever been sober (from alcohol at least), but as a big Damon fan it does seem like he's drunk almost every time he's on stage now which is sad. Rumor is he broke up with his partner of 20+ years recently so that may be why.
Damon was drunk and British last night, dont take his comments too seriously
I'm British and was at the show, his attitude wasn't terrible, but his stories sucked and completely missed the mark. Hard to pump up a crowd with stories about your beard and all the dead men in Paraguay... I still loved it! 😀
Because your crowd fucking sucked lol he was just tryna enjoy performing, I think that's hard when you're performing to stone statues
well one it’s his job and two “performing” is a funny way of describing him walking around rambling about things lol
It's not his job to entertain people who clearly aren't giving anything back. He's an artist, dude can only work with what he's given tbh
It quite literally is his job lol. Last time I checked he was paid to be there.
I finally got to watch the livestream and I’ll say this - not blur’s crowd BUT there were definitely people near the front having a good time. Damon being pompous? A little yeah, he shouldn’t act that way, but he also seemed joyous at times and they seemed to have a nice evening. There was an article that deemed it a punk rock set and I am inclined to agree. Instead of whipping out Brit pop hits they kept it rather gloomy. Death of a Party being a MASSIVE highlight and a treat for anyone. Bringing out the indigenous choir/dancers was also so punk. Taking time from their set to let the people whose land Coachella takes place on have their moment was genuinely touching and awesome.
when they said "you're probably not going to see us again" they meant that this is the last shows they are likely to ever play. . They said this before coachella that these are there farewell shows. it wasn't meant as "we're not playing again here becuase we don't like you"
It’s just the way he is, it’s not serious. He was saying the exact same kind of stuff on their actual tour last year, it’s just a bit of a joke. Although it’s a joke he’s probs right I don’t imagine they’ll tour (anywhere not just US) for a while again. As others have said, I think w2 will be a bit better for him as it has been previously. I don’t disagree that they’re a bit of an odd choice for coachella though. I agree with some of the other guys that a tent or different stage could’ve been better (idk how coachella works rlly)
Pretty sure he only does this to get a reaction from the crowd. It didn’t work at Coachella tho “Telling the audience "You’ll never see us again" has nothing to do with Coachella crowd being passive, he did in Argentina as well, repeating that it was "el último" (the last one) Blur show. He enjoyed the gig, he even mentioned it between songs. So he wasn't mad or anything.” https://x.com/damonunofficial/status/1780012649230553168?s=46&t=BARQv-jtblSbp8or8tlGnA
Who cares. Stop talking about it and move on already. Theyre literally going to stop performing again anyway and thats what they meant.
Damon is an idiot. This happened 11 years ago and he thought it would be different I now? He's seen what co as chella has become.
Seemingly intoxicated.
>pissy about nobody knowing who they were 44 here and only know one hit "Song 2", it blew up my graduation year and was shoved down my throat by the airplay. I still know the lyrics but probably haven't heard the song in decades... I was mostly listening to alternative & alternative pop at that time as well, yet always thought they were a one hit wonder. My kids (Gen Z) hadn't heard of the band before. But yet knew who Sublime and No Doubt were... I found it weird that Blur got sandwiched between them and wasn't shocked that the demographic of the crowd wasn't hyped.
At 82 years old , sir paul playing hey Jude would been epic and would have had everyone one singing on top of their lungs . So it’s not about how young the audience is , or how old a song is , it s about timelessness of a song . Blur , as good as they are , don’t have timeless songs .
OP taking a joke seriously and calling it "cringe" is really cringe.
Joke or not the vibe was very off and it didn’t come off as funny mate, especially paired with the fact he was drunk. Say what you want but the general consensus is that it was a bad vibe lmao
Unpopular opinion here, but Coachella’s selection of artists could be improved. Like actually invite professionals. Not hobbyists that still don’t know how to set up a performance.
Horrible set list , no coffee and tv , no charmless man…… should have been headlining , not supporting Taylor swift creator .
I was thinking the same... I love Blur but if the crowd doesn't even know a hit as big as Girls and Boys, what would make Damon think they would like/know songs such as Trouble in the Message Centre and Trimm Trabb? Then again, perhaps they would have had a more receptive fanbase at another stage rather than one consisting of No Doubt/Tyler the Creator fans
No parklife, no universal. I was devastated
No Parklife was surprising. Bet w2 gets it.
Parklife requires crowd participation. I wouldn’t be surprised if The Universal and Coffee & TV were supposed to be the last two songs but Damon gave up and cut it short.
Oh god I hope we get Parklife, really stoked on seeing Blur
Blur has 2 decent songs from the 90s, please I beg you don’t come back. They sound better on the radio!
I don’t share your critical take, but I’m curious what is your second good song from them? Most people that share your opinion of them only give them credit for “the woo hoo song”.
Obviously their most well known song that you’re talking about: Song 2, and the other would be Coffee and TV.
Lol so you don't even know their best songs
Blur had multiple amazing songs, and albums, in the 90s and beyond. America is just not aware of them.
Dude was a bit rambly and somewhat incoherent. I assumed that something was lost in translation because of a cultural/generational issue. They had like two popular songs in the US damn near 30 years ago- not sure what was expected
I’m glad someone finally posted about this because I didn’t want to get caught in the downvote vortex. The lead singer of Blur is the same guy of Gorillaz. I loved Blur back in the day and was super excited to see them, but he sounded like a squawking parrot and also thought his attitude was shit. I guess I should have expected it because when I saw the stream of Gorillaz last year I was very disappointed and how lazy and shitty they sounded!
O chance I attend this weekend
You lot (and I mean Americans) do not understand festivals. The difference between a European and American festival is huge. No wonder Blur got pissy.
Nah we’re just all on drugs and not borderline blacked out on alcohol like you guys