Blur broke out a number of classic tracks at their Coachella warm-up gig last night (April 10). Check out footage and the complete setlist below.
The intimate live show took place at the Fox Theater in Pomona, California, yesterday evening, and came ahead of the huge set that the Britpop icons are set to break out at Coachella later this weekend (Saturday, April 13).
They first announced details of the set on social media back in February, when they shared an image of a flyer, and confirmed that support on the night would be from Mercury Prize-nominated duo Jockstrap.
On the night, Damon Albarn and co. treated the audience to a huge 20-song setlist, and broke out some of their biggest hits including ‘Song 2’ and ‘Parklife’.
Opening the set at the Fox Theater, the ‘90s icons launched into a live rendition of ‘St Charles Square’ – which was released as part of their latest studio offering, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’. Following that, they made a nod to their earlier discography, playing both the 1993 track ‘Popscene’ and 1994 classic ‘Trouble In The Message Centre’.
Bassist Alex James also shared a teaser of the latter online ahead of the gig – posting footage of him playing the song on his balcony just hours before the show.
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As well as the aforementioned fan-favourites, ‘Song 2’ and ‘Parklife’, Albarn and co. also broke out many more classics from their discography, including ‘Beetlebum’, ‘Girls And Boys’ and ‘Coffee And TV’.
Other highlights of the set include the live debut of their 2012 song ‘Fool’s Day’, the first live performance of ‘Death Of A Party’ in 10 years, and inviting a crowd member on stage to help perform ‘Parklife’.
Check out fan-captured footage of the show and the complete setlist below.
St Charles Square! Blur is back! pic.twitter.com/I9136fxOSw
— △émélina 𖤐 (@ashestomarss) April 11, 2024
DEATH IF A PARTYFHEBS pic.twitter.com/knDajpC29R
— Nai 🇹🇹𓆏 🍉 (@kidanaiah) April 11, 2024
Sing!@blurofficial at @foxtheater, video by Katie Otro pic.twitter.com/FN7uAQ5DlU
— Damon Albarn Unofficial (@DamonUnofficial) April 11, 2024
Fool's Day ! pic.twitter.com/boYsWWf806
— △émélina 𖤐 (@ashestomarss) April 11, 2024
The Blur Coachella warm-up show setlist was:
‘St Charles Square’
‘Popscene’
Trouble In The Message Centre’
‘Beetlebum’
‘Goodbye Albert’
‘Trimm Trab’
‘Out Of Time’
‘Bird Song’
‘Death Of A Party’
‘Coffee And TV’
‘Parklife’
‘Girls And Boys’
‘Advert’
‘Song 2’
‘This Is A Low’
‘Sing’
‘Fool’s Day’
‘Tender’
‘The Narcissist’
‘The Universal’
The announcement that Blur would be performing at this year’s edition of Coachella came as a surprise to some, as it came shortly after comments from Albarn, where he was pretty adamant that the band would be slowing down for 2024. “It is time to wrap up this campaign,” he said back in December. “It’s too much for me. It was the right thing to do and an immense honour to play these songs again.”
Last night’s intimate gig marked one of their first US shows in almost a decade, having last played in New York back in 2015. Saturday’s show will also mark their return to Coachella after an 11-year absence.
It is currently their only date on the live calendar for 2024 after a year of heavy gigging in the UK, Europe, South America and beyond. No further US performances have been announced.
In other Blur news, it was recently revealed that the Britpop icons are set to release a new documentary and concert film charting their huge 2023 reunion. The projects will document the recording and release of their first album in eight years, ‘The Ballad Of Darren’, as well as the huge shows that followed – including the two headline shows at Wembley Stadium in London last summer.
More recently, Albarn joined Thundercat on stage and performed a handful of solo tracks and a Gorillaz song during the latter’s sold-out shows at KOKO, London.
As for Coachella, this year’s instalment is set to kick off tomorrow (April 12) and will see Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator and Doja Cat perform as headliners. Yesterday, Vampire Weekend were added to the bill, and other acts on the line-up include No Doubt (playing their first live show in nine years), Justice, Deftones, Grimes, Bleachers and Khruangbin.