Tuesday, May 4, 2010

TOUR REVIEW: 1995 Japanese Tour

As they usually did in other years, in 1995 Blur toured Japan, where they always seem to play fantastic gigs (with some rare songs) in front of fanatical crowds. The tour was squeezed in between the end of their European tour in October and the beginning of their UK tour in late November/December. The tour dates are below (known and available recordings are highlighted):

November 1995:

2nd - Sun Palace, Fukuoka, Japan
3rd - Aichi Kosen-nenkin Kaikan, Nagoya, Japan
4th - Festival Hall, Osaka, Japan
6th - Izumiti 21 Hall, Sendai, Japan
8th - Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
9th - NHK Hall, Tokyo, Japan

The Osaka and Tokyo (Budokan) shows are in hand, while I am currently chasing down a lead for the Tokyo (NHK) show. The typical set list is:

The Great Escape
Charmless Man
Jubilee
Popscene
She's So High
End Of A Century
Tracy Jacks
Mr. Robinson's Quango
To The End
Fade Away
It Could Be You
Stereotypes
Girls & Boys
Chemical World
Advert
Bank Holiday
For Tomorrow
Country House
This Is A Low
Supa Shoppa
Yuko And Hiro
He Thought Of Cars
Parklife
Coping
Globe Alone
The Universal

In addition to being a long set with material from every album represented, these Japanese shows from 1995 contain the only known live performances of Yuko and Hiro, which is fitting! In addition, some material from The Great Escape was dropped in favor of some older material, making these set lists fascinating cross-sections of all of Blur's material to date (although Leisure was still underrepresented). The 1995 Japanese tour wasn't as wild, crazy, and spontaneous the 1994 one, nor as epic as the 1997 one, but it still has some excellent performances and is worth checking out. (Of course, if you have the Live at the Budokan album, you have most of that show, apart from a few missing songs...I will put the complete show up soon).

If anyone out there has the NHK hall show or any shows, please contact me privately.

6 comments:

  1. Huh. So the Live at the Budokan boot isn't the whole show? I've been robbed!!!

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  2. Nope, it's missing It Could Be You and Chemical World, both of which were only on a rare Japan-only single.

    I have the entire show, though...I'll give it to you next time I see you, bring your iPod :-)

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  3. Sounds good, because I really like that CD. Live at the Budokan and Sawdust Seizures are the only "official" boots I have.

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  4. I thought I had given you more? Next time I see you, I'll hook you up (I have a better, more complete version of the show on Sawdust Seizures, too)

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  5. Nope, those are the only Blur boots I have on the iPod. I just gotta click on the "DOWNLOADS" post label and get 'em all on there!

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  6. Yes, you can get all the ones here, and anything else you want (within reason) next time you're 'round the house, bro ;-)

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