photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Blur/The Specials/New Order, Hyde Park 8/12/2012

Blur's frontman and driving force, Damon Albarn, had said this might be the band's final performance. But then Albarn has always been a competitive soul, and you wonder if he's just trying to outdo the culmination of the Olympics for significance.

For a while tonight, that appears to be a losing battle. Blur are preceded by the BBC's closing ceremony coverage, shown on a giant screen. As union flags flutter, the 80,000-strong crowd bellows along to the national anthem and cheers as Prince Harry takes his seat. When Madness kick off the entertainment in the stadium, Hyde Park dances along, and you wonder whether everyone's forgotten they've paid £55 to see Blur.

Then, abruptly, Madness are cut mid-song and the screens withdraw to reveal our headliners, under a replica of Albarn's beloved Westway. The band launch into an incendiary Girls and Boys, and, for the next two hours, Hyde Park is theirs. - [The Guardian]

Blur headlined the official post-Closing-Ceremony concert in London's Hyde Park, a capper to the last two weeks of Olympics mania. The two-hour set had all the big singles (except "There's No Other Way"), their new song "Under the Westway," and a nice selection of deep cuts (what, no "Blue Jeans"?) that few could really grumble with. Grumbling about the sound was prevalent, however, as Hyde Park noise ordinances kept the volume a little too low for some in the back.

What could be Blur's last-ever show is already up on iTunes and here for those who want a musical souvenir. It'll be released on CD next week.

Of course, it wasn't just Blur, as the concert also featured sets by The Specials, New Order (who have North American shows coming up) and youngsters Bombay Bicycle Club. Photos and setlists of all the band's from Sunday night's Hyde Park concert are below.

Continue reading "Blur, The Specials, New Order & Bombay Bicycle Club played the post-Olympics concert in Hyde Park (pics, video, setlist)"

Blur will play a live show in Hyde Park in Summer 2009. Graham Coxon will join Alex James, Dave Rowntree and Damon Albarn onstage for this first time since their Royal Festival Hall performance in 2000. The concert will take place at London's Hyde Park on Friday 3rd July 2009, and tickets will be on general sale from 9am Friday 12th December 2008 at www.livenation.co.uk. [BLUR] (thx cmandel)