| Theater of Living Arts, Philadelphia, July 2003 Blur is the epitomy of Brit-pop. It's as simple as that. With their catchy, well-writtten
lyrics over poppy rhythms and electric beats, they can do no wrong. And after seeing them
live, one can only say that they're hard to top. Even with the recent demise of the dynamic
duo of Albarn and Coxon, Blur goes on to make magical pop tunes that get crowds roaring and
bodies groovin'. |
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Frontman Damon Albarn commanded attention for two solid hours, bounding from stage left to stage right, posing, dancing and occassionally praying
to the discoball overhead. At one point he dove head first into the capacity crowd, much
to his bodyguard's dismay. The crowd loved Damon, egging him on to do it again, which wasn't
out of the question considering Albarn is known for pulling stunts like that. Bassist Alex
James looked on, laughing, smiling, interacting with the girls drooling over him in
from front row. All the while Dave Roundtree pounded away on the drums behind them.
Songs like the new "Crazy Beat" and the ever-popular frat-boy anthem "Song 2" were amongst the
songs played that got everyone jumping like mad while "Tender," their version of an epic,
got the audience to sing "come on, come on, come on...get through it" in not-so
perfect harmony, but good enough to feel a sense of unity amongst the diverse crowd. Other
songs thrown into the mix were "Boys and Girls," "Pop Scene," "The Universal" and
"Beetlebum." After thinking, "Hey, are they gonna do anything from Leisure?" they began
to play an acoustic "She's So High." It doesn't get any better to an old school Blur fan.
Any true follower of Brit-pop will agree that Blur have definately set the standard for
all-around, honest-to-goodness, pure pop music. They've survived fueds with rival bands, feuds
amongst themselves, and the loss of a founding member. But it looks like they're gonna make
it to the end. |
