Recently, NME published an article listing its "100 Gigs You Should Have Been At." First, a disclaimer...I haven't read the article myself as it seems to be only in the print edition, and I only read the free online edition. However, it has been discussed on the Blur message boards and apparently only two Blur gigs showed up on the list (three, technically, if you count the fact that they were part of the Rollercoaster Tour package in 1992, but NME only singled that show out because of My Bloody Valentine). The two Blur concerts they mentioned were the Gimme Shelter gig from 1992 (available HERE) and the Hyde Park shows from 2009 (commercially available). That started quite a debate on the forums, and I thought I'd expand on it here. So my question to you fellow fans is:
What do you consider to be the greatest Blur gigs ever?
Let me first say that by asking this question, I'm not talking about which are the best shows necessarily. We all know that, for instance, the Iceland show from late 1996 is a great concert because the band was very relaxed and previewed a lot of new material from their upcoming self-titled album. However, it's not one of those LEGENDARY gigs where everyone wishes they had been there, the way, say Woodstock in 1969 is. In my opinion, not only does the NME not have enough Blur gigs on it, but even if we accept they only get two spots, the two NME listed are, in my opinion, far from the ones any of us hardcore fans *should* have been at. So which gigs do I think would have been better choices for this list? Please note that this list is purely subjective and purely my opinion. Furthermore, I could come up with probably over 20 gigs, but I'm going to try and stick to the ones that even casual Blur fans would probably agree would have been ones they'd have loved to have been at.
Reading Festival 1993
Glastonbury 1994
Ally Pally 1994
Mile End 1995
Astoria 1997
B-Sides Show 1999
Singles Night 1999
Glastonbury 2009
That's my list, and I can expand further on my choices if you'd like me to, just ask in the comments. What's your list?
The interesting thing is that even though I didn't go through the years when they broke up, I still had tears in my eyes when I saw the video of Glastonbury 2009- I mean it was so emotional that even a person who didn't quite understand the pain of their split back then could have that feeling! So it must be something to be remembered for sure.
ReplyDeleteOh, sorry the comment was cut off at the top...I just said I'm not a long-time fan at all since I started to listen to them in ...early 2010.
ReplyDelete^I totally agree, I was moved by the whole 2009 experience even though I'm in the US and had to experience it through the internet, bootlegs, videos, and friends of mine who were at all of the gigs. I've been a fan since the mid-1990s so it was really meaningful on that level, especially since I've followed all of the goings-on, ups and downs, splits, fights, drama, etc religiously for basically half of my life!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, apart from the ONE Blur gig I *have* been to, they're all ones I should have been at!
Most of the songs from him are quite emotional.That's why many fans were crazy about him, as can be seen from the photos posted.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
ReplyDelete