When Blur reformed, possibly for the last ever time, in 2023 it didn’t feel a surprise at all that they sold out Wembley Stadium twice at a hundred pounds a ticket. This was Blur after all, one of the most popular bands of the nineties, with a back catalogue of era defining singles.
But Blur weren’t always the darlings of the public that they came to be seen as, with the band in 2003 out of step with the UK’s music scene. Having taken a break after 1999’s Thirteen, Damon Albarn had gone on to have success with Gorillaz’s debut album, Graham Coxon had taken leave of the band and comeback album Think Tank had failed to ignite despite sublime lead single Out of Time.
The final round of activity for the band in this phase involved a eighteen date winter tour of medium sized UK venues. Despite tickets costing a very reasonable twenty pounds (thirty five adjusted for inflation in 2024) the tour wasn’t an instant sell out, meaning I could pick up tickets for the third night of three at the majestic Glasgow Barrowlands only weeks before the show.
I’ll save my praise for the Barrowlands for a future post, but I’ve yet to find another venue in the country that has quite the same charm or atmosphere. Needless to say it was the perfect place to rekindle my love for a band who had been one of my first favourites when music had become a major part of my life in the mid-nineties, but had fallen from personal favour since.
Kicking off with Think Tank opener Ambulance, it was clear this wasn’t the same Blur that existed at the height of the band’s fame. Damon seemed solemn, almost tired throughout, no longer throwing himself about the stage as he did in the nineties. But that didn’t stop it being a riveting concert.
Pulling songs from all their past albums the band seemed intent to showcase their versatility, from the baggy influenced She’s So High, the disco pop of Girls and Boys, the chaotic rock breakdown of Trim Trabb, the adrenaline blast of Song 2 and of course the uplifting yet nostalgic balladry of For Tomorrow. It was only the more cartoonish songs from their back catalogue that didn’t find a space in the set, with Parklife and Country House absent despite repeated fan requests.
But it was half way through the main set when Blur finally unleashed their secret weapon – the heart tugging emotional ballad. Alex James wheeled out his double bass and the the band kicked into Tender and a mass audience sing-along, a trick they later repeated to perfection with To The End, Battery in Your Leg and eventual set closer The Universal. If I ever compile a list of best set closers I’ve witnessed live (which I may well do) then expect The Universal to come out somewhere near the top.
It would be another six years before Blur reformed again, this time with Graham restored to the band, with their performances on that tour (particularly their Glastonbury headlining slot) nailing their position as national treasures. Some day I may write about my experiences of that tour, but 2003 and seeing them in a vulnerable, slight damaged state still remains the highlight of the times I’ve managed to get tickets to see Blur.
Alex Reviews Gigs 
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