Happy New Year

Hi everyone, here's my last post of 2009, wishing you all out there a healthy, prosperous, and happy new year in 2010! I'll be back to normal posting next week.

Two More 2010 New Year Resolutions

Two more 2010 resolutions I'll make:

1) to continue my dogged (and sometimes obsessive) pursuit of new and rare Blur live recordings (loads of pending ones coming my way within the next few months, hopefully);

2) to continue making interesting posts about Blur's live history

So far the response to this page has been 100% positive and I am truly flattered and humbled that all of you out there are enjoying it. I will strive to make it even better in 2010!!

Please feel free to comment!!

And shortly after New Year's Day I will post the current list of known recordings I'm looking for...perhaps you could help me out by donating any you may have on the list?

2010 Resolution: Preservation

One of my goals in 2010 is to finally get a huge external hard drive and put all 220+ live Blur shows of mine (which are all on CDR) into .flac format and loaded onto an external drive. I want to do this for reasons: to have backups in case anything should happen to my CDRs, 2) to preserve the audio long-term, as CDRs won't last forever. I feel it's vitally important to have a central repository for Blur's live history and want to work very hard to make this a reality.

Thoughts?

SHOW: Astoria, London May 13, 2003

Here's Blur's final show from their 5-night run at the Astoria in May 2003 the week Think Tank was released...enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KDYCS550

If anyone out there has a recording of the May 10, 2003 Astoria show, please contact me privately!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone out there. BLAAP will be back after the long weekend with more music and interesting posts. Enjoy the day with your family and friends...Merry Christmas!

SHOW: Glastonbury Festival June 28, 2009

Here's Blur's already legendary gig at this past years Glastonbury Festival. Perhaps you already have it (it's circulating freely) but if not, here you go! Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WV3VAKIB

Black Book now available at Amazon.co.uk

For UK fans, there is good news...Black Book is now available at Amazon.co.uk, which should make it even easier to order a copy.

TOUR REVIEW: Singles Night Tour of 1999

In December of 1999, Blur undertook a short jaunt around the UK they called the "Singles Night Tour," where they played a handful of dates and the set consisted of all of their singles (to date), played in chronological order. The tour dates were (available recordings are in bold font):

December 1999:

4th - Centre, Newport, UK
6th - Waterfront, Belfast, UK
7th - Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, UK
9th - NEC, Birmingham, UK
10th - Centre, Brighton, UK
11th - Wembley Arena, London, UK

The set list (no surprise) was:

I Know
She's So High
There's No Other Way
Bang
Popscene
For Tomorrow
Chemical World
Sunday Sunday
Girls & Boys
To The End
Parklife
End Of A Century
Country House
The Universal
Stereotypes
Charmless Man
Beetlebum
Song 2
On Your Own
M.O.R.
Tender
Coffee & TV
No Distance Left To Run

While these concerts have passed into legend in Blur lore and are a unique part of their history, fan opinion is split. Many fans (myself included) think of it as quirky little tour and the last chance to hear some songs the band absolutely hate and have no intention of ever playing again (Charmless Man, Country House, both brought back in 2009, Bang, I Know). Other fans think the predictability of the set lists made the shows uninteresting and boring. I can see their point, even though I like the shows.

Only the final night at Wembley is available, both in a complete audience recording and a nearly complete soundboard recording patched together from two sources. I find it shocking that more recordings from this tour aren't available...I had heard rumors of a tape of the Brighton show, but so far nothing else has surfaced other than the London show. If anyone out there has some Singles Night shows (or any others) please contact me privately.

What are all of your thoughts on this tour? Comments welcome!

Boston 1996 show update

It was brought to my attention that the link for the 2/11/96 Boston show was not working, so I re-upped it. Should work fine now, but if it doesn't, let me know.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S67V3ZJS

Black Book makes a great Christmas gift!

Christmas is almost here and Black Book would make a great gift for the Blur fan in your life! Just click on the right or go to www.amazon.com and order it from Amazon.com and have it shipped directly to you before Christmas! So far all of the response and feedback I've gotten from it has been 100% positive, so get your copy today!

TOUR REVIEW: Blur in Boston

Since this is my blog, I'm going to indulge myself in a little post detailing Blur's escapades in my city, Boston. Boston has a vibrant music scene with loads of local bands (some of which my brother used to be in) and is almost always a stop on any band's tour of the East Coast. In addition, some huge bands hail from the city (Aerosmith, Boston, The Cars, just to name a few). Below is a list of all of the times Blur has played here (available recordings are in bold type):

April 14, 1992 - WBCN Free Show, Axis
April 15, 1992 - WFNX Free Show, Venus de Milo
December 7, 1993 - Paradise Theatre
September 13, 1994 - Unknown Venue
September 15, 1994 - Venus de Milo
September 28, 1995 - Axis
February 11, 1996 - Avalon
March 7, 1997 - Middle East Downstairs
June 7, 1997 - WBCN River Rave
September 13, 1997 - Orpheum Theatre
July 18, 2003 - Avalon

You can check out Blur's 1996 show in Boston here as I've uploaded it previously. Additionally, I know of the existence of a recording of the September 13, 1997 show (including the soundcheck) and am trying to track it down. I myself was at the 2003 show and can attest to the fact that there is a large and loyal fanbase for Blur here in New England (of which Boston is the unofficial "capital" city of). It's interesting to note, too, that Blur kicked off their tours (1992) or legs of tours (1997 in March) here. They were also scheduled to play the WBCN River Rave in of 2003 (I was going to see them there as well) but they ended up being banned for life from WBCN for pulling out of the gig due to unforeseen circumstances. Damon even mentioned this at the July '03 gig I was at, rather humorously I might add. At least Blur can rest easy...WBCN went defunct this past year!

If you have any memories to share of Blur concerts you've been to in Boston, please comment and share them! And if you have any other recordings, please contact me.

SHOW: Town and Country Club, Leeds, England May 31, 1994

Here's a short set from Blur in 1994, last gig of their Spring UK tour. Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6IGG6ZUH

TOUR REVIEW: 1992 USA Tour

Perhaps no tour in Blur's history is as legendary or pivotal as their grueling 1992 slog across America. Traversing the entire country over three months, playing 44 shows, and spending nearly all of the offstage time getting blind drunk cooped up together on a tour bus rolling endless miles up, the band literally beat the hell out of each other and everything around them. It nearly broke the band up and depressed them so much that it led to the nadir of their then-young career at the (in)famous NME Gimme Shelter gig in July of 1992 (but that's a topic for another post).

Touring with the Senseless Things with no new album to promote, the penniless Blur were basically forced into this tour to sell t-shirts and merchandise to pay off debts their first manager, Michael Collins, had racked up with his colossal mismanagement and financial shenanigans. The tour itinerary is below (available recordings are in bold) and it should be noted even the tour dates were lost in legend until some months ago when I was able to uncover many of them through dogged research (the picture was later completed with some assistance from a friend in high places who shall remain nameless!):

April 1992

14th - WBCN Free Show, Axis, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
15th - WFNX Free Show, Venus de Milo, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
17th - Opera House, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
18th - Max’s, Ithaca, New York, USA
21st - Toad’s Place, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
22nd - Club Babyhead, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
23rd - Theatre for the Living Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
24th - City Gardens, Trenton, New Jersey, USA
25th - Marquee, New York City, New York, USA
26th - Max’s on Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
28th - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, USA
30th - Empire, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

May 1992

1st - St. Andrew’s Hall, Detroit, Michigan, USA
2nd - Vic Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, USA
4th - First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
8th - 86th Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
9th - RCKNDY, Seattle, Washington, USA
11th - Cattle Club, Sacramento, California, USA
12th - The Edge, Palo Alto, California, USA
13th - KITS Cruise, San Francisco, California, USA
14th - Anaconda Theatre, Santa Barbara, California, USA
15th - Price Center Plaza, UC San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
16th - The Palace, Los Angeles, California, USA
17th - After the Gold Rush, Tempe, Arizona, USA
20th - Trees, Dallas, Texas, USA
21st - Back Room, Austin, Texas, USA
22nd - The Vatican, Houston, Texas, USA
23rd - Tipitinas, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
26th - Centre Stage, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
27th - Ritz Theatre, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA
28th - Summers, Ft. Lauterdale, Florida, USA
29th - The Edge, Orlando, Florida, USA
31st - Cat’s Cradle, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA


June 1992

1st - Kahootz, Richmond, Virginia, USA
2nd - Zodiac Club, Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA
3rd - Graffiti, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

As you can see, only two gigs, surprisingly, are available from this tour. Both of them reveal a band that is drunk to the point of barely being able to speak, yet they still manage to deliver a show that combines erratic playing with moments of brilliance, mixed up with humor, menace, aggression, and everything in between. The typical set list (gleaned only from the two available tapes) was:

Bang
Slow Down
Won't Do It
Come Together
Colin Zeal
Fool
Oily Water
Never Clever
There's No Other Way
Pressure On Julian
She's So High

Forced to re-promote Leisure a year after its release and mixing in new material from the aborted second album (rejected by their record company), the set is an odd mix of old and new. It makes for interesting listening! (I have shared one of the gigs on here...check it out!)

For such an influential moment in the band's history, it is shocking to me that only two recordings are available. There must be more that exist and if they do I hope they surface for us to enjoy someday and to fill in the pieces of the puzzle for this tour. Of course, if you have any, contact me privately!

Update

I've been sick the past week so there hasn't been much posted...I'll try to make it up to you this week, faithful readers (and new visitors, too)!

SHOW: Brixton Academy, London April 7, 1992

Well here's a treat for you...the only complete show from the Rollercoaster Tour of 1992, and the *ONLY* available live recording (to date) of Hanging Over...enjoy!!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8DI9XCU8

SHOW: V97 Festival, Chelmsford, England August 16, 1997

Here is Blur's set from the V97 Festival in Chelmsford. Includes a rare version of Country House. This was sent to me by the taper years ago (around 1998)...I also have a full video of the show kicking around somewhere...I'll try to dig it out sometime. Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D3EVTN4L

...It's like a Badhead in the morning...

Well between 8 inches of snow today and having a touch of flu, I spent all day today in bed, hence no posts of any sort (except for this one). I'll make up for it tomorrow so check back then!

TOUR REVIEW: The "Festival Circuit Tour" of summer 1999

One of the interesting things about Blur touring in 1999 was that in the summer they focused exclusively on festivals, playing probably damn near every available one they could fit in between June and August. Here is the tour itinerary from summer 1999 (available recordings are in bold font):

June 1999

13th Tibetan Freedom Concert, RAI, Amsterdam, Holland
19th Provinssirock Festival, Seinajoki, Finland
20th Heineken Festival, Imola, Italy
26th Southside Festival, Munich, Germany
27th Hurricane Festival, Scheessel, Germany

July 1999

2nd Werchter Festival, Belgium
4th Roskilde Festival, Denmark
9th Quart Festival, Kristiansand, Norway
10th T In The Park Festival, Balado, Scotland
13th Rockwave Festival, Athens, Greece
22nd The Point Depot, Dublin, Ireland
31st Fuji Rock Festival, Niigata, Japan

August 1999

6th Benicassim Festival, Spain
9th Water Festival, Stockholm, Sweden
15th Saint Malo Festival, France
26th Goldsmiths College, London, UK
28th Reading Festival, UK
29th Leeds Festival, UK

In addition to the available recordings, I know of the existence of the Heineken Festival, Fuji Rock Festival, Goldsmiths, Reading Festival (complete AUD tape) and Leeds Festival tapes and am in contact with the tapers, trying to get copies, so stay tuned on that.

But what is interesting is that they only played two non-festival gigs: the Point in Dublin, and the Goldsmiths gig (as a warm-up) for the Reading show. While Blur had played loads of festivals in the past and would again in 2003 and 2009, there's nothing quite like the summer of '99 when that's basically ALL they played. The shows overall are solid, although the static set lists got old after a while and it wasn't until the end of the summer that they got away from the routine sets of playing all of 13 followed by some older songs in the encores. By summer's end, they were mixing up the sets, to much better effect.

If you have any of those recordings I'm seeking listed above, please contact me privately!

SHOW: T in the Park Festival, Scotland July 10, 1999

Here is Blur's set from T in the Park in 1999. The sound quality isn't perfect but this is one of my favorite shows from the festival circuit Blur played in the summer of 1999...enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8Z7C1IGE

Don't Touch That Dial!

Keep an eye out this coming week for what (I hope!) will be some interesting posts/discussions about live Blur!

SHOW: X96 Festival, Salt Lake City, Utah June 21, 1997

Here's a not so common show from the summer of 1997...Blur at a festival sponsored by Utah radio station X96 FM...enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AAFELT6J

TOUR REVIEW: US Winter Tour 1996

As promised, following the review of the European Spring 1996 tour, I'll now get into the US Winter tour. For some reason, Blur's touring year of 1996 has always intrigued me and remains one of my favorites. While the performances on the whole were uneven (there is seriously not one gig that is consistently excellent from
beginning to end, although some have more high points than others), it's fascinating in that it's the portrait of a band in transition. Tired of the hoopla of 1995, when they won 4 BRIT awards and released another #1 album to great fanfare, as well as their protracted singles battle with Oasis and the revisionist press backlash in the UK, 1996 finds them on the verge of implosion, forced to play the hits that made them famous while looking toward the reinvention of their next album.

The tour dates were as follows (available recordings are highlighted):

January 1996

25th Commodore, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
26th Moe's, Seattle, Washington
27th La Luna, Portland, Oregon
29th Fillmore West, San Francisco, California
30th Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, California

February 1996

1st Mercury Cafe, Denver, Colorado
3rd Trees, Dallas, Texas
4th Liberty Lunch, Austin, Texas
6th Cotton Club, Atlanta, Georgia
7th The Galaxy, St. Louis, Missouri
8th Metro, Chicago, Illinois
10th Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York
11th Avalon, Boston, Massachusetts
12th Ballroom, Washington DC

As you can see, almost half of the tour is available on recording. I know of the existence of the show at Moe's in Seattle and a complete tape from Portland (the available one is incomplete) ...I'm currently working on getting copies of them all.

The typical set list was:

Intermission
Popscene
It Could Be You
Charmless Man
Tracy Jacks
End of a Century
To The End
She's So High
Jubilee
Mr. Robinson's Quango
Globe Alone
Advert
Bank Holiday
Supa Shoppa
Country House
Girls & Boys
He Thought Of Cars
Stereotypes
This Is A Low
There's No Other Way
Parklife
The Universal

Interestingly, for the first three shows of this tour, The Great Escape was still being used as the opening number...beginning with the fourth show in San Francisco, it reverted to Intermission, which would remain the opener until the end of the European tour in late March. What's interesting to note is that Entertain Me, which was played during the fall 1995 tours of Europe and Japan, was dropped for this tour, but brought back for the European tour in the Spring. Some gems were thrown in (most notably a rare and only performance of Rednecks at the Dallas show) but overall these shows are notable for the contrast between some brilliant performances and some incredibly lazy ones, often within the same song. Of note was Damon's habit during this period to get very lazy with his vocals, changing lyrics, forgetting them, adlibbing/swearing in the middle of songs, and holding out words to avoid having to finish verses. However, the effect is rather charming...they wanted to blow it all up, but they kept on trying in front of the enthusiastic crowds.

Any show from this tour is a fascinating listen and worth your time. And if you have any of the non-circulating recordings (Atlanta, Portland, Seattle) or any others, please contact me privately!

SHOW: Kilburn National, London October 24, 1991

Here is a *blistering* live set from 1991, with a stunning version of Oily Water as one of the highlights. Great sound quality, and played on my wife's 13th birthday, so it's a little extra-special for me. Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ES3O39Z1

Pending recordings

The following recordings are ones I have definitive leads on and should (hopefully) have by the end of the year/early 2010:

Roseland Ballroom, New York City 3/30/99
Goldsmiths College, London 8/26/99
Reading Festival (complete AUD tape) 8/28/99
Leeds Festival 8/29/99
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton 6/24/09
MEN Arena, Manchester 6/26/09
Apollo, Manchester 11/28/03
Barrowlands, Glasgow 11/22/03
University, Manchester 5/29/93
Academy, Manchester 5/19/94
Regent, Ipswich 5/?/94 (need to research date)
Queen's Hall, Bradford 10/4/93
Brussels 10/25/93
Plaza, Glasgow 5/16/94
Camden Falcon, London 3/30/90

Also trying to track down some more, so stay tuned!

SHOW: Avalon, Boston February 11, 1996

Here is Blur's show in Boston from their US Winter Tour of early 1996. Great sound, solid show, great recording. I saw Blur at this same venue in 2003 and it was a great place to see shows (sadly it is now closed). Enjoy!!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S67V3ZJS

TOUR REVIEW: European Tour Spring 1996

During the transitionary year of 1996, Blur played a short American tour during January and the first half of February (which I will blog about later) before embarking upon a European tour that began at the end of February and ran until the end of March. The tour dates were as follows (available recordings are in bold)

February 1996

24th Unknown Venue, Lisbon, Portugal
26th Aqualung, Madrid, Spain
27th Arena, Valencia, Spain
28th Zeleste, Barcelona, Spain

March 1996

1st Le Bikini, Toulouse, France
2nd Grenoble, Le Summum, France
4th L'Escall, Nantes, France
5th Olympia, Paris, France
7th Unknown Venue, Geneva, Switzerland
8th Volkshaus, Zurich, Switzerland
10th Messepalast, Vienna, Austria
12th Palalido, Milan, Italy
13th Teatro Tenda, Florence, Italy
14th Vox, Modena, Italy
16th Forum, Nuremberg, Germany
17th Vobi, Frankfurt, Germany
18th Capitol, Hannover, Germany
19th Biskuithalle, Bonn, Germany
20th Brielport, Deinze, Belgium
22nd Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland
23rd Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland

The typical set list was:

Intermission
Popscene
It Could Be You
Charmless Man
Tracy Jacks
End Of A Century
Coping
To The End
Entertain Me
Jubilee
Mr. Robinson's Quango
Globe Alone
Advert
Supa Shoppa
Country House
My Sharona
Girls & Boys
He Thought Of Cars
Stereotypes
This Is A Low
There's No Other Way
Parklife
The Universal

There are a number of reasons this tour has always intrigued me, not least of all that it is very poorly documented, both in terms of audio recordings and any video (save for some video of the Madrid gig) and photos, etc. Also, the set list is still focused on The Great Escape, although the shows tended to be played more aggressively and sloppily (if that makes sense). Also, the better performances were of the harder, edgier material from that album, like Entertain Me, He Thought of Cars, Stereotypes...pointing the way to the direction the band would take later in the year as they recorded the about-face that was their 5th album (released in early 1997).

I know that a recording of the Hannover and Florence shows exist and am working on tracking them down, but otherwise this tour remains rather a mystery, and I always loved trying to solve a puzzle!

SHOW: First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota May 4, 1992

Here is one of only two shows from Blur's legendary (and ill-fated) 1992 US tour...enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=C2RJ25DA

TRAILER for No Distance Left to Run (January 2010)

My contact (the fellow I was donating material/research to, who is the producer of this film) informed me that it is OK to link to the trailer, so here it is:

Blur: No Distance Left to Run

This is a high quality version...check it out and get excited!!!

SHOW: MTV Studios, London March 6, 2003

Here is the broadcast of Blur's concert on BBC TV. While they played an entire show, this is all that was broadcast and is available. Hopefully sometime soon the entire show will surface, but in the meantime, enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EA373WKG

Blur: No Distance Left to Run in UK (January 2010)

Blur's carrer-spanning documentary, No Distance Left to Run, is due to be released in cinemas in the UK in January 2010. The trailer can be seen HERE.

Besides being mega excited for the obvious reasons of being a maniacal fan of the band, I'm also excited as I was able to contribute in my own small way to this by donating material and doing some research for the film, so I'm proud, in a way, that I could give back to my favorite band. Plus, it looks like it's going to be bloody marvelous!

SHOW: Roskilde Festival, Denmark June 28, 2003

Here's Blur's show at the Roskilde Festival in 2003. A solid and very enjoyable show in great sound quality. Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CYS30AA4

Newly confirmed recording

Just found that an audience recording for Blur's show in London on December 12, 1997 exists (this is the night after the famous and common soundboard from the previous night)...

Wouldn't that be great to hear someday?

The Five-Night Astoria Run in London, 2003

In May 2003 during the week of Think Tank's release, Blur played a 5-night run of concerts at the famous (and sadly now-defunct) Astoria in London, on May 8-10, 12-13.

During these shows, Blur played most of the songs from their new album, introduced touring guitarist Simon Tong to the London audiences, and threw some nuggets into the long and varied set lists. Luckily, recordings exist for four of the five nights (the middle night, May 10, so far has no available recordings. Of course, if you have one, please email me ASAP!)

The set lists were as follows:

May 8

Ambulance
Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club
Out Of Time
Beetlebum
Girls & Boys
Good Song
Badhead
Gene By Gene
Top Man
For Tomorrow
Brothers And Sisters
Crazy Beat
Song 2
Trimm Trabb
Battery In Your Leg
Popscene
On The Way To The Club
We've Got A File On You
This Is A Low

May 9

Ambulance
Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club
Beetlebum
Girls & Boys
Sweet Song
Badhead
Gene By Gene
Top Man
For Tomorrow
Out Of Time
Brothers And Sisters
Crazy Beat
Song 2
Trimm Trabb
Battery In Your Leg
Caravan
Popscene
On The Way To The Club
We've Got A File On You
Coping
This Is A Low

May 10

Ambulance
Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club
Beetlebum
Girls & Boys
Good Song
Badhead
Gene By Gene
Top Man
For Tomorrow
Tender
Out Of Time
Brothers And Sisters
Crazy Beat
Song 2
Trimm Trabb
Battery In Your Leg
Caravan
Popscene
On The Way To The Club
We've Got A File On You
This Is A Low

May 12

Ambulance
Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club
Beetlebum
Girls & Boys
Good Song
Badhead
Gene By Gene
For Tomorrow
Tender
Out Of Time
Brothers And Sisters
Crazy Beat
Song 2
Trimm Trabb
Battery In Your Leg
Caravan
Popscene
On The Way To The Club
Me, Whitenoise
We've Got A File On You
This Is A Low

May 13

Ambulance
Beetlebum
Girls & Boys
Good Song
Badhead
Gene By Gene
For Tomorrow
Top Man
Tender
Caravan
Out Of Time
Crazy Beat
Brothers And Sisters
Song 2
Trimm Trabb
Battery In Your Leg
Popscene
On The Way To The Club
Me, Whitenoise
We've Got A File On You
This Is A Low

Some interesting things to note is that the set order didn't really stabilize until the final night, when Beetlebum was installed as the second song, where it would remain (with a few exceptions) for the remainder of the year. This shifting of the song order is most apparent during the first half of the set...the encore sections remained relatively consistent. Also, Top Man was surprisingly played during the first three shows, although it was dropped by the fourth night. A rare (and so far, the only) version of Coping from 2003 was played on the second night. Me,Whitenoise was played during the final two nights, both times with Phil Daniels reprising his role from the album version.

What is special about these shows is that, apart from having recordings for all but one of them, the set lists are a little different each night...it's a portrait of the band tinkering and fine-tuning their live act, onstage and in front of an audience. In addition, we get some treats like the aforementioned Top Man and the rare (for 2003) Coping. The stage banter is revealing as well (see Black Book), as Damon is constantly trying to explain why Graham is not there but "it doesn't mean he's not coming back," something we now know was no sure thing, even though this was a line constantly brought up by Damon throughout 2003.

While the recording quality of these shows ranges from good audience to excellent soundboard, they are all worth seeking out, not only for the performances, but for their glimpse into the band when they were still rather unsure in the wake of their emergence as a 3-piece playing new material in front of their hometown crowd on the week of the new album's release.

And as I said before, if anyone out there has a recording of the show from May 10, 2003, please email me! It will, of course, be kept confidential.

Recordings update...

Just got and listened to Summersonic Festival, Osaka August 3, 2003 and have a solid lead on Roseland Ballroom, New York City March 30,1999...stay tuned...

SHOW: Ein Abend in Wien Festival, De Doelen, Rotterdam, Holland August 31, 1991

Here is Blur's complete set from this festival in Holland in 1991. Runs a touch fast but is a decent (for its age) soundboard recording. Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VLVXDTWF

SHOW: Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles November 14, 1991

Here's a nice little free noontime concert Blur put on in 1991 during their first visit to America. Very energetic and nice to listen to. Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7NWBL2J0

SHOW: Point Depot, Dublin November 23, 1995

Here's Blur's nearly annual (during the 1990s) show at the Point in Dublin from 1995. Not the greatest sounding recording but a cracking performance. Incomplete, sadly...the encore section, which supposedly contains a rare live version of Best Days, is missing...hopefully it will surface someday, but in the meantime, here you go!


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U82G4OBM

Currently listening...

...to the Wolverhampton show from May 11, 1994. Sound quality is not great but the performance is fantastic. It's the 2nd show from the Spring 1994 UK tour and the 4th show overall from 1994...first available live recordings of loads of Parklife songs. Really great.

Seaside Tour 1995

In September 1995, at the time of the release of The Great Escape, Blur undertook a tour of British seaside towns that few (if any) bands ever went to. (Pictured above is the actual program, which I own a copy of...it seems to be the only common Blur tour program available). This tour has long been one I've been interested in. The tour dates and venues are below:

September 12th - Pier 39, Cleethorpes, UK
September 13th - Queens Hall, Dunoon, UK
September 14th - The Dome, Morecombe, UK
September 15th - Rooftop concert at HMV Oxford Street, London, UK
September 16th - Floral Hall, Eastbourne, UK
September 17th - Oscars, Clacton, UK
September 18th - The Showbar, Bournemouth, UK
September 19th - The Paradox, Brighton, UK
September 20th - Ocean Room, Great Yarmouth, UK

Besides the towns, which Blur would never visit again (except for Bournemouth and Brighton, which certainly don't fit in with the rest of the towns in terms of bands, including Blur, never visited), they snuck in a rooftop concert in London.

The typical set list for this tour was:

Jubilee
Charmless Man
Popscene
End Of A Century
Top Man
Mr. Robinson's Quango
To The End
Fade Away
It Could Be You
Stereotypes
Supa Shoppa
Girls & Boys
Parklife
Bank Holiday
Country House
This Is A Low
He Thought Of Cars
Globe Alone
The Universal

While the rooftop set list was:

Country House
Top Man
The Universal
Globe Alone
Parklife

(set list info courtesy of Veikko's Blur Page)

The most interesting thing is that these shows (along with the secret BBC gig from September 7, 1995) were the only times that Top Man was played live pre-early 2003.
All of these shows have been "Holy Grails" for me in terms of ever finding a recording (there MUST be some out there), mainly because of the uniqueness of this tour. If you have any, let me know! It's shocking how little documentation, in terms of video, audio, or photographs, there are of this seaside jaunt.

What generosity!

A fellow Blur fan who saw my post below on preservation has offered to send me a couple of hard drives *free of charge* in order to doubly back up every Blur show I have. I'm speechless at his generosity...thanks, mate!!

Progress...well, a teeny bit...

Just heard from the taper who has the Riviera, Chicago show from 6/26/97...says the show is stored an hour from his home but next time he goes out that way, he'll get it over to me. So that's promising, although more waiting...

UPDATE: Just heard from a fellow who has the 3/30/99 Roseland Ballroom, NYC show, in process of setting up a trade with him...stay tuned...

SHOW: Point Depot, Dublin July 22, 1999

Enjoy! Not the best sounding, but a cracking gig!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U4WQQ690

Similar Books

Here is the book that inspired me to write Black Book:

Led Zeppelin Live

And here is another similar book on U2

I'm glad Blur now has an entry into this type of book!

COMPLETE list of known uncirculating live recordings as of 11/10/2009

Here is the COMPLETE list, accurate as of today, for all of the KNOWN CONFIRMED Blur live recordings that are not currently in general circulation:

3/30/90 Falcon, Camden, London
5/29/93 University, Manchester
9/3/93 Barrowlands, Glasgow
10/4/93 Queen’s Hall, Bradford
10/25/93 Vaartkapoen, Brussels
12/4/93 Theatre of the Living Arts, Philadelphia
5/16/94 Plaza, Glasgow
5/19/94 Academy, Manchester
9/19/94 Masquerade, Atlanta
9/24/94 The Palace, Los Angeles
9/25/94 The Fillmore, San Francisco
5/21/95 Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto
6/10/95 Sonoria Festival, Milan
10/3/95 Metro, Chicago
11/4/95 Festival Hall, Osaka
1/26/96 Moe’s, Seattle
1/27/96 La Luna, Portland (full show)
2/6/96 Cotton Club, Atlanta
2/26/96 Aqualung, Madrid (full show)
3/18/96 Capitol, Hannover, Germany
5/26/97 Budokan, Tokyo
6/10/97 Electric Factory, Philadelphia
6/18/97 Showbox, Seattle
6/22/97 Ogden Theatre, Denver
6/24/97 The Rave, Milwaukee
6/26/97 Riviera, Chicago
6/27/97 Clutch Cargos, Detroit
7/1/97 K-Rock Dysfunctional Family Picnic, New York City
8/8/97 Sudoeste Festival, Portugal
9/13/97 Orpheum, Boston (w/soundcheck)
11/8/97 MBK Hall, Bangkok
3/30/99 Roseland Ballroom, NYC
4/1/99 Mayan Theatre, LA
6/20/99 Heineken Music Festival, Imola, Italy
7/31/99 Fuji Rock Festival, Japan (full show)
8/26/99 Goldsmiths College, London
8/28/99 Leeds Festival
11/18/99 Metrolpolitan Theatre, Mexico City (full show)
11/21/99 Credit Card Hall, Sao Paulo, Brazil (full show)
11/23/99 Metropolitan, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
6/20/03 Showbox, Seattle
6/21/03 Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, Canada
7/23/03 Metropolis, Montreal
7/24/03 Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia
7/26/03 Tabernacle, Atlanta
10/13/03 Circus, Stockholm
11/3/03 Riviera, Madrid, Spain
11/9/03 Gasometer, Vienna, Austria
11/22/03 Barrowlands, Glasow
11/28/03 Apollo, Manchester
6/24/09 Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England (full show)
6/26/09 MEN, Manchester, England (full show)

As you can see, this is a *HUGE* list!!

I've contacted the tapers/collectors who have all of these shows. Some of them I am currently in the process of obtaining, others I am wrangling with the holders, and others I am waiting to hear back.

For me, it's shocking that so many new recordings of Blur exist (and I'm sure there are LOADS more out there) and are not generally available. All of these were listed by people on their trade lists, so it's not as if they are hiding the fact that they have them (they are not hoarding)...these were clearly listed as "FOR TRADE". However, the fact that these are difficult to find, let alone get copies of, is amazing. I wonder why this is? My guess is there is not a huge demand for live Blur and thus these end up buried in boxes in people's houses or on seldom seen trade lists.

I will continue my work in trying to obtain copies of these shows and sharing them with the fan community. In the meantime, if anyone reading this has any of these or knows someone who has any of these, please contact me (my email address is in my profile, found on the right side of this page). Your correspondence will be kept completely confidential.

Wolves

Just found that a the Wolverhampton show from 5/11/94 is available on recording...in the process of getting a copy...

Also, these exist:

10/4/93 Queen’s Hall, Bradford
10/25/93 Vaartkapoen, Brussels
5/16/94 Plaza, Glasgow

Now to try and get copies of them!

New Discoveries

I learned this weekend that videos (and thus audio) exist for the following shows:

11/8/97 MBK Hall, Bangkok
6/20/99 Heineken Festival, Italy
11/21/99 Credit Card Hall, Sao Paolo

And so the work begins to liberate them...

Nice review of Black Book

Here is a nice review of Black Book:

http://veikko.climax.dk/viewtopic.php?t=442&start=15

Evidence for two more recordings...

I found evidence today online that recordings for:

1/26/96 Moe's, Seattle
11/8/97 MBK Hall, Bangkok

exist. I've also contacted people regarding:

3/30/99 Roseland Ballroom, New York City
11/12/03 Alcatraz, Milan

Fingers crossed!!

1994 Japanese Tour (LONG POST ALERT!)

Blur has made multiple tours of Japan (1993-1995, 1997, 1999, 2003). However, based on the available recordings, none of them can compare to their 1994 tour there. Blur played eight concerts in Japan between November 18 and November 29, 1994. Three recordings are available:

November 19, 1994 Club Citta, Kawasaki
November 26, 1994 Shibuya Kokaido, Tokyo
November 29, 1994 U-Port Hall, Tokyo

What makes this tour so interesting to me as a fan and listener is that something special that always seems to happen in Japan with big bands. I'm going to make the analogy to another legendary band, Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin played two tours in Japan, one in 1971 and one in 1972. Every show from each tour is available on recording, and while the 1972 was very good, 1971 was superlative. The band was followed by absolutely maniacal fans cheering loudly and enthusiastically from beginning to end. Additionally, they played with abandon, really stretching out with extended sets and throwing in covers and album tracks that they'd never play ever again. I'm making this analogy because Blur did the same thing during this 1994 tour, which saw rabid fans treated to long concerts with some real unique set lists. The typical set list for a late 1994 show (taken at random from the European tour) was:

Lot 105
Coping
Jubilee
Popscene
Tracy Jacks
End Of A Century
Chemical World
Badhead
There's No Other Way
To The End
Advert
Supa Shoppa
Parklife
Girls & Boys
The Debt Collector
Bank Holiday
This Is A Low

Contrast that with this set list from the set lists from the three Japanese recordings:

November 19, 1994

Lot 105
Coping
Jubilee
Tracy Jacks
Magic America
End Of A Century
Popscene
Chemical World
Badhead
There's No Other Way
To The End
Advert
Supa Shoppa
Parklife
Colin Zeal
For Tomorrow
Girls & Boys
Mr. Robinson's Quango
The Debt Collector
Bank Holiday
This Is A Low


November 26, 1994

Intermission
Sunday Sunday
Coping
Jubilee
Tracy Jacks
Magic America
Happy Birthday/The Tuning Song
End Of A Century
Popscene
Trouble In The Message Centre
Chemical World
Badhead
There's No Other Way
To The End
Advert
Supa Shoppa
Parklife
Colin Zeal
She's So High
Girls & Boys
The Debt Collector
Bank Holiday
Day Upon Day
This Is A Low


November 29, 1994

Intermission
Sunday Sunday
Coping
Jubilee
Tracy Jacks
Magic America
End Of A Century
Popscene
Trouble In The Message Centre
Chemical World
Badhead
There's No Other Way
To The End
Advert
Supa Shoppa
Parklife
She's So High
Colin Zeal
For Tomorrow
Girls & Boys
Theme from Batman and Robin
Mr. Robinson's Quango
The Debt Collector
Bank Holiday
This Is A Low
Day Upon Day


You can see the first show has a longer set list than typical for the European tour. However, they really let loose with the last two shows, extended the set with many more songs (bringing back Trouble in the Message Centre, She's So High), starting the shows with Intermission (Lot 105 was the opener used for all of 1994 previously), bringing Day Upon Day back into the set in the encore section. Additionally, they played these shows with reckless abandon and energy, making these some of the most exciting concerts of their career.

While recordings from Japan in 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2003 exist, all with their own treats (Yuko and Hiro in 1995, You're So Great, Beard, and Strange News From Another Star in 1997), none can match the mania and energy of these 1994 shows. I can only hope more recordings from this tour come to light in the future!

The Preservation Project

After thinking it over for a long while, I've decided that when I have the extra money, I'm going to invest in an external hard drive (1TB or so). Not only to back up the personal data my wife and I have, but my goal is to put all 225 (and counting) Blur shows on it to preserve them digitally as flac files. Right now everything is on CDR and arranged chronologically, but it will be great to have them backed up and preserved for years to come in a digital format.

I take it very seriously to preserve their live history, as I consider them to be one of the best bands of the last 20 years and akin to the Beatles in cultural impact and importance (except for in the USA, although they do have a dedicated and hardcore cult following here).

SHOW: Fillmore West, San Francisco January 29, 1996

Here's a hard to find show from early 1996. Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KGNL8PY5

A breakthrough...

In the process of setting up a deal to obtain copies of several uncirculated shows from the taper himself...stay tuned...

SHOW: La Bataclan, Paris May 19, 2003

Here's Blur's Paris show from May 19, 2003. This is a newer soundboard source I've recently found that sounds bloody fantastic! Great show here, check it out!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T8JUVK7U

Tilting at windmills?

Throughout my crawling across the internet, I've come across a LOT of Blur recordings that people have that I'd love to get my hands on to add to the band's history, the book, and eventually share out. However, a lot of these are old postings on message boards or trade lists going back as far as 1995! And of course most of the webpage and email addresses bounce or are no longer active. These are the shows I have been passionately pursuing in this regard:

7/1/97 NYC (was available for download from the taper in 1997, webpage is down)

9/3/93 Glasgow
12/4/93 Philadelphia
6/10/95 Milan
10/3/95 Chicago
11/4/95 Tokyo
1/27/96 Portland (full show)
2/6/96 Atlanta
3/18/96 Hannover
5/26/97 Tokyo (all of these were for sale from a fellow in 1998, email address bounces)

8/8/97 Portugal (email address of taper bounces)

There are also numerous ones with active webpages/email addresses who never reply, including

3/30/90 London
1/27/96 Portland (full show)
3/18/96 Hannover
6/26/97 Chicago (fellow was replying to me but haven't heard back in a while)
8/26/99 (currently in talks to get this...)
6/20/03 Seattle (taper is going to send it to me in a bit)
6/21/03 Vancouver (taper hasn't responded)
11/3/03 Madrid (taper hasn't responded)
11/9/03 Vienna (taper hasn't responded)
11/12/03 Milan (taper hasn't responded)
6/24/09 Wolverhampton (full show, in talks with taper)
6/26/09 Manchester (full show, in talks with taper)

It can get awfully frustrating, but hopefully the "three P's" (see post below) will pay off!!

And of course, if you have any of these PLEASE CONTACT ME PRIVATELY IMMEDIATELY...your correspondence will remain confidential.

The Frustration

This post is not meant to sound whiny or complaining, but expresses genuine confusion and frustration over being a Blur fan and trying to collect their live recordings.

The main gist of this post is that it seems that there is MUCH more information, MANY more resources, and MORE available recordings for bands that are Blur's peers, while not for Blur themselves. I am speaking, for instance, of bands such as Radiohead, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. As an example, I am routinely scouring the internet looking either for Blur shows I don't have, or (much more often) uncirculated/new recordings. While it's a very arduous task (although I've had much success over the years), I am constantly seeing a number of webpages devoted to Oasis, Radiohead, etc and their live shows. Large databases, trading pages, etc. In addition, the sheer number of available recordings from these two bands is astounding and numbers in the several hundred. In contrast, while Blur has played 600+ concerts in their 20 years, there aren't even half that many available. I have the largest collection of their recordings (as far as I know), numbering 225, which is a far cry from the number for bands like Oasis, for example. A quick search online, however, will give a webpage that has over 400 (!) Smashing Pumpkins shows available for download...

The frustration over very little information on Blur's recordings led me to write Black Book, which is both a history and a guide. That being said, I'm still puzzled as to why a band that is as popular and successful as Blur has such a small fanbase dedicated to their live recordings.

Thoughts, anyone?

Potential new recordings...

This is a list of shows where I am actually in contact/actively trying to contact the people (sometimes the taper themselves) who has the show:

3/30/90 London
3/18/96 Hannover
1/27/96 Portland (full show)
6/26/97 Chicago
3/30/99 New York
4/1/99 Los Angeles
8/26/99 London
11/3/03 Madrid
11/9/03 Vienna
11/22/03 Glasgow
6/24/09 Wolverhampton (full show)
6/26/09 Manchester (full show)

Stay tuned and wish me luck!

The three P's of seeking out recordings...

...are persistence, perseverance, and patience. They are all extremely important, although the last one perhaps more so. Currently I am trying to get a copy of an extremely rare recording from someone. After two months of back and forth, I got the first song last week and am eager to get the rest, but don't want to push the person away, so I'm being patient. It's hard to do, but I'm hoping in the end it will be worth it...

NEW: Existence of some new unearthed recordings

Before you get all excited, I have not unearthed these tapes...rather, I've unearthed that they do indeed exist. However, the listing online these were from is very old and the contact info does not work, so the search continues. But this list is enough to make me drool like Pavlov's dog...

9/3/93 Barrowlands, Glasgow
12/4/93 Theatre of the Living Arts, Philadelphia
11/29/94 U-Port Hall, Tokyo
6/10/95 Sonoria Festival, Milan
10/3/95 Metro, Chicago
11/4/95 Festival Hall, Osaka
2/6/96 Cotton Club, Atlanta
2/10/96 Roseland Ballroom, New York City
2/12/96 Capital Ballroom, Washington, DC
3/18/96 Capitol, Hanover, Germany
3/15/97 Riviera, Chicago
5/26/97 Budokan, Tokyo
6/11/97 Capital Ballroom, Washington, DC
6/24/97 First Avenue, Minneapolis
7/1/97 KROQ Dysfunctional Family Picnic, New York City
8/8/97 Sudoeste Festival, Odemira, Portugal
9/16/97 Varsity Arena, Toronto
9/23/97 Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte
9/26/97 Garage, Cincinnati
9/27/97 96-X Fest, Mud Island Amphitheatre, Memphis (this was erroneously placed on the same date in 1996 in Black Book)
10/4/97 County Bowl, Santa Barbara
12/6/99 Waterfront, Belfast
12/9/99 NEC, Birmingham

Of course, if you have these or know someone who does, please contact me privately (your correspondence will remain confidential).

I will post the COMPLETE list (so far) of known recordings floating around out there. I then plan to do an individual spotlight posting on each of these (as well as all of the other ones I'm hunting down)...so stay tuned!

A personal memory: Blur at the Avalon, Boston July 18, 2003

This post is a little self-indulgent, but since this is a blog about the live Blur concert experience, I thought I'd share my own (and sadly only) time that I saw Blur live...in Boston at the Avalon on July 18, 2003.

First, some background. When I heard Blur were going to be playing in Boston, I of course had to go see them. I ordered two tickets, one for me and one for my brother. Horrifyingly, about a week before the show, I still hadn't gotten the tickets in the mail. I called Ticketmaster and they said they had a glitch in their system and no one's tickets had gone out, but that they would soon. I got them the DAY before the show...talk about cutting it close.

The day of the show, my brother and I drove into Boston in the afternoon. We grabbed some dinner, walked around the city a bit, and then made our way over to the (now defunct) Avalon on Landsdowne St and got into the club early. Since it was general admission (and the club probably fit around 500 people), we made our way right up to the front and ended up in the second/third row. The opening band, the Moving Units, were pretty good even though every song of theirs sounded the same after the first few bars. However, when Blur came onstage, the crowd went nuts. I remember Damon was wearing a gray sportcoat over a striped polo shirt and they all looked so cool. They ripped into Ambulance and the set list was as follows:

Ambulance
Beetlebum
Girls & Boys
Gene By Gene
For Tomorrow
Sweet Song
Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club
Tender
Caravan
Out Of Time
Crazy Beat
Brothers And Sisters
To The End
Song 2
Trimm Trabb
Battery in Your Leg
The Universal
ENCORES:
Popscene
On The Way To The Club
We've Got A File On you
This Is A Low

Some things I remember: thinking (along with the people around me) "Oh my God, is Graham back?" when I saw Mike Smith (keyboard/saxophone player) come out (since he had short hair and Graham-style glasses...in the low lighting at a short distance, he was a dead-ringer for Graham); Damon polling the crowd on whether they wanted them to play Good Song or Sweet Song (Sweet Song won); before Out of Time Damon explaining they've been banned from WBCN (Boston radio station) for pulling out of the WBCN River Rave festival earlier in May (a show I had intended to go to to see Blur); the band had a technical glitch before Battery in Your Leg, with Alex playing the basslines to Music is My Radar, She's So High, and On the Way to the Club before they sorted it out; everyone being shocked they played The Universal (it was only the second time they'd played it that tour); Damon jumping onto us a few times during the show (my brother and I got to high-five him); standing next to a fellow from the UK and talking to him after the show about how he had worked on the lighting crew for some of their UK tours in 1994-97; overall, how great a concert it was. Also, on the way out the door, someone was handing out invites/tickets to the afterparty at the Paradise (another Boston club) to random people, my brother and I being two lucky recipients. We debated whether to go or not, but both of us had classes the next day (I was a PhD student at the time and he was an undergraduate) and decided to just head home...a decision I'm sure he regrets now as much as I do!

A few weeks later I was thrilled when someone contacted me with the recording of the show, which they sent to me. Even cooler was that you can hear me on the bootleg...I shouted out "yeah!" really loud in the silence when Damon announced Beetlebum, and you can hear me whoop it up a few times throughout (I must have been standing close to the taper). All in all, a great concert made even better by the fact that I was there!

RECORDING SPOTLIGHT: Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles April 1, 1999

In keeping with yesterday's post about the Roseland Ballroom show in 1999, today's will focus on the only other American concert Blur played in 1999, in Los Angeles at the Mayan Theatre (pictured left). The set list was the same, so I won't post it again. And I won't belabor the point other than to say I know for a fact a recording of this is out there (I know a fellow who used to have it, but he doesn't anymore), and hopefully someday it will surface to complete the mini-tour of the USA/Canada in 1999.

And as always, if you have a copy or know someone who does, please contact me privately (and your correspondence will remain confidential).

SHOW: Reading Festival, England August 28, 1993

Here is Blur's legendary gig at the Reading Festival in 1993. Cited by the band and management as the turning point in their career when they knew they'd make it and when they'd finally connected with their fans. A great show to listen to (see the review of it in Black Book). Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9GZFZRXC

RECORDING SPOTLIGHT: Roseland Ballroom, New York City March 30, 1999

In 1999, Blur surprisingly only played three shows in North America: one in New York City, one in Los Angeles, and one in Toronto. I personally recorded the Toronto gig and have spoken to people who have the other two shows, as well as seen them listed, but thus far they have remained elusive. Here is the setlist for the Toronto show, which would be the same for this one in New York City:

Tender
Bugman
Coffee & TV
Swamp Song
1992
B.L.U.R.E.M.I.
Battle
Mellow Song
Trailerpark
Trimm Trabb
No Distance Left To Run
Beetlebum
There's No Other Way
Popscene
Song 2

As you can see, it's a typical set list for this point in 1999. What makes this show (and the Los Angeles show two days later, but that's a topic for another post) so desirable is that that was it for Blur in the USA in 1999. Surprisingly, they never came back, and this was the only year (other than 1990 when they were too new, and 2009 when they stuck to the UK, Ireland, and France) they never did a proper tour of the USA. Thus, to have all three of the USA/Canada shows would be very nice in order to fill in this little piece of the concert history for 1999.

So, the hunt continues for this show. However, if you taped it or know someone who did, please contact me privately (your correspondence will, of course, remain confidential).

On a personal note, since I live close to Boston, I'm only about a 4-5 hour drive from New York City. I was a sophomore at university when this show took place and had tickets reserved to buy, with the intention of taking the bus to New York, seeing the show, and then sleeping on the bus overnight back to school. Except that a couple of weeks before the show, a VERY important mid-term exam was scheduled in my chemistry class. Since I was a chemistry major, I had to study and do well in it, thus no Blur show! And it would be four more years before I finally saw them (but again, that's for a future post)...

Concerts in some out-of-the-ordinary places

Blur has played hundreds of concerts around in the world throughout their 20 year history. But one thing that is unique is that they're one of the few bands who venture off the beaten path and play in countries other than the usual UK/USA/Europe/Japan axis. This wanderlust reached its height during Blur's 1997-1999 peak when they went to some truly far-flung locales. Below is a list of concerts they've played off the beaten path (available recordings are highlighted in bold font and italics).

-Estonia 1993 (unknown venue and date)
-6/30/96 Ruisrock Festival, Turku, Finland
-9/8/96 Laugardalshollin, Reykjavik, Iceland
-8/27/97 Sports Hall, Torshavn, Faroe Islands
-8/29/97 Gothaab Hall, Nuuk, Greenland
-8/31/97 Laugardalshollin, Reykjavik, Iceland
-10/21/97 Munwha Gym, Seoul, Korea
-10/24/97 North Shore Events Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
-10/26/97 Festival Hall, Brisbane, Australia
-10/28/97 Metro, Sydney, Australia
-10/29/97 Metro, Sydney, Australia
-10/30/97 Horden Pavillion, Sydney, Australia
-11/1/97 Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
-11/2/97 Metro, Melbourne, Australia
-11/4/97 Thebarton, Adelaide, Australia
-11/6/97 Metropolis, Perth, Australia
-11/8/97 MBK Hall, Bangkok, Thailand
-11/11/97 Harbour Pavillion, Singapore, Singapore
-6/19/99 Provinssirock Festival, Seinajoki, Finland
-7/13/99 Rockwave Festival, Athens, Greece
-11/18/99 Metropolitan Theatre, Mexico City, Mexico
-11/21/99 Credit Card Hall, Sao Paulo, Brazil
-11/23/99 Metropolitan, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
-11/26/99 Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina
-11/27/99 Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina
-4/22/03 Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
-9/24/03 DK Gorbunova, Moscow, Russia
-9/25/03 DK Gorbunova, Moscow, Russia

While I realize Australia is not an unusual location, the fact of the matter is not too many bands from the USA or UK usually venture down there (as an example, Led Zeppelin and The Who only toured Australia once, as did The Rolling Stones in their heyday). Also, while Finland, Greece, and Iceland are in Europe, most bands don't play there very often, if at all.

One thing to notice is that Blur has played is some really exotic and unusual places...South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, South America, Mexico, Russia, and especially surprising, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It's a testament to their popularity that they were able to play in all of these places and draw large crowds (remember, in smaller countries, crowds of 5,000 can be akin to playing in front of 20,000 in England or America!).

While it can be tougher to find recordings, photographs, or articles reviewing concerts from these places, the quest continues to try and get a better idea of Blur's concerts in these interesting locations!

SHOW: Glastonbury Festival, England June 28, 1992

Here is Blur's show from the Glastonbury Festival in England on June 28, 1992. Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UDP733RG

Blur in France: An Aural Love Affair

The photo above is from Blur's show in Lyon, France, on July 5, 2009. But the overall point of this post is that, from listening to loads of shows over the years, one thing is very obvious, and that is the fact that Blur playing live in France is always special.

There are many bands that seem to rise to the occasion even more than usual in certain locales to deliver shows that are better than their best. Some of the most unique and arguably the best concerts of Led Zeppelin's career came on their 1971 and 1972 tours of Japan, as well as at the LA Forum in Los Angeles. The Who always seemed to play even better when in New York City or London (although Live at Leeds is simply stunning). There are numerous other examples of bands who have that special place(s) where they seem to deliver every time. And in my opinion, after listening to and researching live Blur for over a dozen years, for them, it's in France.

There seems to be something about the response from the fans, who always sound like the perfect crowd...not too boisterous, but not cold. They're energetic, loud, appreciative, funny, and seem to have a rapport and connection with the band you can *feel*, even aurally. And it gets reflected in the mood of the band (and the performance of the songs). Even with the language barrier, these shows prove that the right crowd and the right band can meet to make transcendent music if all of the conditions are met. Below is a cataloging of all of the known Blur recordings in France with some notes for each (not excerpted from Black Book, although the sentiments will be the same!)

-Aeronef, Lille, France October 18, 1991
Blur played three nights at the Fnac/Les Inrockuptibles Festival in France...this is the second night. This show has many previews from Modern Life is Rubbish, two years in advance of its release. This concert also included the earliest known version of Popscene played live. The band are in a very humorous mood and joke constantly back and forth with the crowd.

-La Cigale, Paris, France October 19, 1991
The final night of the Fnac Festival, this is a more serious and mature show, with the band delivering a tight set that has the crowd going nuts. Includes a manic Day Upon Day to close the whole thing out.

-L’Ubu, Rennes, France February 15, 1992
The earliest 1992 show available, this contains the earliest live versions of Colin Zeal and Pressure on Julian. I'm All Over and Sing are also included and are rarities. A similar atmosphere to the Paris show from 1991.

-Rennes Festival, France April 15, 1994
This is the earliest 1994 show available and the only one to pre-date the release of Parklife. Included are previews of Parklife, Girls and Boys, Lot 105, Jubilee, and a rare (and first) version of London Loves. The relationship between Blur and France is really taking hold at this point.

-Les Montjoye, Besancon, France October 20, 1994
This show (and the following one) took place during Blur's nearly two-week tour of France in October 1994. This is one of the lower key shows in France, although it is played very well.

-Art Rock Festival, St. Brieuc, France October 28, 1994
A show from the end of the French tour of 1994, this one, along with the Besancon show, is one of the few uneven shows. This one is much better at the beginning...by the end of the show, the energy level begins to wane, although overall it's still very solid.

-La Bataclan, Paris, France October 26, 1995
A solid, solid show from late 1995, this one is better than the two recordings from 1994. Nothing spectacular here in terms of set list, although the communion between the band and crowd is very special, especially by the time they reach The Universal at the end (complete with Alex playing bass in his underwear!)

-L’Escall, Nantes, France March 4, 1996
Perhaps the only outright stinker from Blur in France, this show alternates between brilliance and sloppiness, and has many bizarre moments, including some truly hilarious stage banter, such as:

Damon: "Alex thinks smoking brings him closer to God."
Alex: "Damon thinks he is God!"

-Olympia, Paris, France March 5, 1996
A fabulous show and one of my favorite Blur concerts. Damon has the crowd eating out of his hand by the third song and they embark on a long and amazing set, complete with the first For Tomorrow since the fall of 1995 and one of the best versions of Entertain Me. This is among the best of 1996, as well one of my personal favorite Blur concerts.

-La Mutualite, Paris, France September 15, 1999
A wonderful show in front of a very receptive and vocal crowd. The atmosphere between band and audience is perfect, and this show includes a rare version of Fried, as well as one of the best versions of Battle you'll ever hear. A magical night.

-La Bataclan, Paris, France May 19, 2003
Hands down one of the best shows from 2003, this one has an atmosphere similar to the Paris show above. The crowd pushes the band to greater heights, which includes one of the best versions of Beetlebum, EVER (yes, even though Graham was not present). One of the prime examples of how French crowds (and Paris, in particular) bring out the best in Blur.

-Olympia, Paris, France October 16, 2003
A "professional" show from Blur, this one has some rarities, such as Blue Jeans as the third song and Beetlebum played as the first encore! Blur is a bit more "academic" in their approach, but that doesn't make it any less interesting or exciting to listen to. Again, one of the best of 2003, and from Paris (no coincidence).

-Les Nuits de Fourviere Festival, Lyon, France July 5, 2009
The final Blur concert in France (to date), this one was described in the press as more "subdued" than the English shows the month before. But this one is better than them all (apart from Wolverhampton and Glastonbury). The crowd clapping during She's So High is literally breathtaking...if you want a prime example of how an audience can CONTRIBUTE to the concert experience, it's in this show. It sounds like a reunion between old friends and is one of the most magical, if not THE most magical, recordings I've ever listened to in this regard.

So there you have it. Blur in France...never a bad show, almost always a fantastic show, and one of those places where they always get on fantastically with the crowd, who add to the whole experience. Hopefully more French recordings will surface so we can enjoy this relationship even more!

RECORDING SPOTLIGHT: Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto May 21, 1995

The first known recording of an uncirculating blur show I'm going to post on is one of my "Holy Grails", Blur's show at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, Canada (picture at left) on May 21, 1995. Also on the bill were Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Our Lady Peace. This was part of the annual Edgefest festival for 1995. The date is often mistakenly listed as May 12 (an error on blur's official gigography, as well as in my book, I'm afraid!) but the correct date is indeed May 21, 1995.

This is an unusual show for a few reasons. It's the only North American show from early 1995 (blur wouldn't return to begin their US/Canadian tour until September 1995), and it has all the hallmarks of a warm-up show, especially since they previewed songs from the upcoming Great Escape album, including Country House, Globe Alone, and Stereotypes. In addition, it has a fascinating and unique set list:

Supa Shoppa
Popscene
Jubilee
Come Together
Tracy Jacks
End Of A Century
Country House
Magic America
Trouble In The Message Centre
Globe Alone
To The End
Badhead
Advert
Girls & Boys
Parklife
Bank Holiday
Stereotypes
This Is A Low

I've highlighted the real oddities in the set. Come Together is a surprise, as is the last time Trouble in the Message Centre must have ever been played live. Starting the show with Supa Shoppa is also pretty weird. All in all, this show has all the attributes of a warm-up show during a transitionary period (bridging the Parklife and Great Escape eras onstage). These "in-between" shows are always the most interesting for me to listen to (some of my favorite concerts are from 1996, as well as mid-1992 to late 1993).

I have come across a listing on the internet of a fellow who recorded this show, although the posting has not been updated since 1996! I've taken down his name (he will remain anonymous) and would like to contact him. I'm hoping someday this recording will become available so we can listen to it, enjoy it, and study it.

If you have a copy or know someone who does, would you please be so kind as to contact me at dkathans@gmail.com? Your correspondence will of course remain confidential.

EDIT: There may be a bit of a breakthrough here, as I think I've gotten in touch with a taper...stay tuned...

Shameless plug for my book!

For the first "real" post of this blog, I of course am going to plug my book, Black Book. This book took me 6 years (from inception to completion) and was a true labor of love. It chronicles the live history of the band through the narrative of their live concerts, captured on recordings of various quality (all of which are reviewed). Also included are a detailed list of every blur song (including whether and when they were played live) as well as the most detailed tour dates list available, including many new and previously unknown shows culled from long hours of research I undertook. The total is 440 pages of information packed in between the two covers!

The book is intended to be both a detailed history of blur's live history, as well as a guide to those who want information on their live recordings. There is also a nice press release write-up on Veikko's widely read Blur website.

For more information, and to get a copy (only $20.00!!!), check it out on Amazon.com

Welcome to BLAAP

Hello and welcome to the Blur Live Audio Archive Project (BLAAP for short). This site is intended as the online supplement to my book chronicling blur's live history, Black Book (available at Amazon.com).

You can expect to find a variety of things here, including (but not limited to):

-Reviews and discussions of selected tours/touring years from blur's history

-Discussion and analysis of songs and their live performances

-Discussion and research into new and uncirculated blur live recordings, including known recordings

-A whole bunch of info related to live blur

Basically I want to use this site as a "real-time" supplement to my book, as well as a tool to help dig up new recordings for this project, in order to make the live history of blur as complete as possible.

So keep checking often and please participate by commenting. And as always, if you have a recording to contribute, feel free to get in touch with me via email (it will be kept confidential).

Cheers!

-Drew