Damon Albarn is British and somewhat legendary in the music industry because of Blur and Gorillaz. He’s genuinely one of the most talented musicians/producers/songwriters to come out of the UK in decades. Unfortunately, he’s also really grumpy and pretty sexist. In recent years, he’s talked a lot of sh-t about Adele and Taylor Swift for some reason. So… maybe there’s some Snake Fam Revenge happening right now. Albarn and Blur performed at the main stage of the Coachella festival this weekend and the crowd gave them absolutely NOTHING. So much so that Albarn issued a threat/promise that he would never return to Coachella.
Blur’s Damon Albarn has slammed the crowd at Coachella, while fans branded the festival goers as ’embarrassing’ after their apathetic reaction during the band’s set. The iconic Britpop band played a 13-song set at the California-based music festival, including 90s classics like Girls & Boys, Popscene and Song 2. They also brought out the Torres Martinez Cahuilla Bird Singers, a group of tribal singers from the Mojave Desert, where Coachella is held.
However, the audience at their set was less than enthusiastic, with their apathy becoming apparent to the band onstage. Lead singer Damon could be seen looking increasingly irritated as he attempted to engage with the crowd to no avail.
For their 1994 hit Girls & Boys, the musician tried to get everyone to sing along to the chorus multiple times, but it was radio silent. Frustrated he declared that the band would not be returning to the festival, saying: ‘You’re never seeing us again, so you might as well f****** sing it’.
Clips of the toe-curling moment were soon circulated on social media, with many fans slamming the Coachella crowd as having the ‘worst vibes’ and declaring they ‘did not deserve to be graced by the presence of blur’.
They wrote: ‘this coachella people do NOT deserve this blur setlist you’re joking; lord please take away all my suffering and give it to the blur crowd at coachella; Why does everyone at Coachella lowkey want Blur dead; the crowd for blur at coachella was so embarassing damon im so sorry i wasn’t there’.
I’ve seen some clips of other Coachella performers trying to encourage the crowd to sing along or give them some energy. Like, No Doubt had a huge crowd but they weren’t giving Gwen Stefani much energy from what I saw. Same at the smaller stages too. It might be a generational thing? As in, the rich youths at Coachella think singing along is “cringe”? I also think that even thought Albarn is somewhat legendary in the UK, younger (American) music fans might not know every Blur single from the ‘90s.
Ir al Coachella 2024 y que un grupazo como BLUR no genere entusiasmo y que la gente no coree un himno como el Girls & Boys para asombro de Damon Albarn es bastante preocupante.
Como diría Dylan… “Los Tiempos Están Cambiando” pic.twitter.com/U5AUc7SMpr— David Webb (@DeifWebb) April 14, 2024
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I loved Blur but this also sounds like a drunk dad singing in front of a wedding band.
Blur can take some responsibility also
Yeah, exactly. Noticed he’s giving the two-fingered salute to the crowd. Nice, drunk dad.
Could it be because coachella is not really a music festival and instead is all about brands, selling, and “influencers”.
Does anyone actually go for the music- or is it rich girls cosplaying as hippies- and VIP areas- and taking photos for “content”.
This makes me happy that my favorite local festival- The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazzfest) is not particularly cool.
I love it- it costs way too much- but with 7 stages for 7 or 8 days- we are about Louisiana music and FOOD.
Okay the main stage has big draw acts. But the People’s Hall Economy Tent – old school ragtime, horns, old men wailing on their instruments.
Also, of course, a gospel tent where the first performance of the day may be a high school choir, and the jazz tent, where an early performance may be a college affiliated group of kids.
Sorry- Its under 2 weeks away, and i am excited.
Perhaps they need to burn coachella and burning man down- and start over.
I agree with everything you just said. Once you see Jeff bezos and Teresa Giudice there you know the ship has sailed on these types of events. It’s not about the music it’s about being seen!
The crowd is too young to appreciate the 90s groups.
@Ariel I’m here in NOLA and have been chuckling to myself as more and more Jazzfest flags have appeared over recent weeks. The people are stoked 😁.
NO JazzFest is about as good as it gets.
@ariel Shhhhh… don’t tell them!! I don’t want the line for crawfish sacks to get too long!!
That was my thinking too: maybe that’s a festival people go to be seen, not to engage with music. Which would actually be very sad. On a separate note : I appreciate they gave visibility to tribal singers from the area.
Spot on Ariel. Damon is an absolute legend but cochella dgaf. They don’t know blur or the real 90’s. You can break through like blackpink with an amazing show but if you don’t bring it they don’t care. Damon and blur is absolutely legendary but it’s just now get of my lawn geezer territory here
Yummy, soft shell crab po’boys!! Don’t miss Carolyn Wonderland this year!! She was John Mayall’s guitarist for 5 years, and she is 🔥🔥🔥!!!
One of these days I’ll make it to Jazzfest. I watch a lot of the videos on YouTube.
As for Burning Man, it’s not a music festival, it’s for art and expression. They have their own ethos and rules (be self sustaining, plan for the weather, share, no monetization) and try desperately to keep the influencers out of it bc it’s a freaking desert and it’s dangerous to be unprepared. But inevitably (ahem Everest) rich people want an easier way and tour guides set up glamping options.
Just came here to say that Jazzfest & New Orleans is THE BEST.
Can’t remember having so much fun, and Trombone Shorty can get it.
I do think it’s a generational thing. Gen Z doesn’t know how to engage with live music compared to the litany of 90s fests, tours, and just overall incredible 90s artists millennials grew up with. Millenials no longer care about Coachella. Just my view.
Im not sure the younger crowd know the lyrics of songs from 94, that was freakin 30 years ago. The crowd is not even 30 probably. How can you be upset? It’s a case of a good band playing at the wrong venue for the wrong crowd.
+1 to all this. I put the blame on whoever books the talent.
Wrong venue, wrong crowd isn’t the band’s fault. The organizers booked them, so the assumption would be that the audience would appreciate them.
I see SO many children wearing Smashing Pumpkins shirts, Korn, etc. but they don’t know who Blur is? I mean I guess I can see it. Their music was popular here in the US but nowhere near as ubiquitous as I’m sure it was in the UK. Still, I think it was probably a miscalculation because the youths love the 90s.
As an *ahem* older millennial, I would say that for me, Blur wasn’t a thing as like Smashing Pumpkins or Korn. Even SP is pushing it for me. I’m sure the youths are, mostly, wearing the tees because they’re vintage *sobs*
Gen z wearing 90s bands shirts are a bunch of posers. They can’t even even name a song. They just like the way the shirts look. A radio show I listen yo stopped random kids wearing 90s bands tshirts and none of them knew anything about the bands.
Hurts my ’90s kid soul to say this, but they probably view those shirts as “vintage” lol.
This. Who booked Blur for Coachella? Poor fit.
I think Gorillaz would have had a better reception than Blue.
Vintage Tshirts are not a music statement anymore, it’s a fashion statement. Some of them have no idea what they’re wearing. Blur and some other popular bands didnt make a comeback to younger gens, there’s a cultural link missing. Some music legends from that time have aged well and stayed relevant to young generations: vintage snoop? Eminem? Beyonce? Celine Dion? Whitney? MJ? Blur hasn’t made it there and their crowd aren’t going to Coachella.
I’d like to see coverage of Grimes’ (Elon’s white supremacist babymama) absolute disaster of a set at Coachella. Absolutely made my morning reading about it.
Hold up! Insufferably idiotic things said in interviews: yes, procreating with Elon Musk: yack, an edgelord with no identity of her own despite desperately trying: indeed-but a white supremacist?? Is she? Yiiiikes. I want to know where/how/when this came up.
I don’t follow her but got caught up recently on Reddit of her activities– she follows Nazis on Twitter (like they’re actually Nazis), likes Nazi posts (there are screenshots), hangs out with people like Curtis Yarvin (who is in bed with Peter Thiel and promotes “Dark Enlightenment”, which is a deeply bigoted theory), and posted about how she is “proud of white culture.” Then you get into the weird eugenics of the “pro-Natalism” stuff she’s into.
Jfc! How is she not cancelled for all of time??
As a millennial/gen z cusp I can say for certain that gen z LOVES to sing along and cheer and scream during concerts. To the detriment of the performer, and people who actually want to listen to them. Look at Coachella last year when zendaya showed up—she couldn’t even hear herself sing. I think they just don’t know who this guy is (I’m 28 and I’ve never heard his songs before)
I mean you can be high energy crowd even when you dont even know the band or the song? I thought if theres a place to party/ be high energy dance whatever its outdoor music festivals?
Atleast here in Finland everybodys cheering clapping dancing no matter who or what is being performed haha but then again we do like our alcohol so that contributes to the energy
🤷♀️ Largely American crowd for largely English band? England band that was big 30 years ago?
This is a 90s band the young generation do not know these British clowns.
Saw an indie band playing locally on a weeknight last year. Turnout was pretty bad, which was understandably a bummer, but they kept trying to coral the half dozen of us there directly in front of the stage, and were noticeably pissy when the only people who complied was their opening band, and I’m pretty sure they ended their set early.
I get it, we’d all like to play to hyped up audiences who are super engaged and have that amazing energy you can feed off of, but it’s just not always going to be that way. Sometimes, you just gotta play the room, even if you’re a certified big deal.
I am a 40 something Brit and I wasn’t that thrilled with the Blur set – made me feel wicked old. Thought No Doubt were good. Raye was insanely amazing and The Bleachers put on a great show. I watched them all from the comfort of my couch on my nice TV and it was lovely!
Raye is amazing!
Back in the day, I used to sing at open mikes. I heard another singer say that they felt that when someone got up in front of others to sing, it was their obligation to do the very best job they could possibly do. I liked that sentiment, and I adopted that. I’ve never heard of him, I’m sure he’s great. He certainly looked very nice. But a performance is just that, it is on the performer to get up and knock the ball out of the park, not cuss at the audience because they aren’t doing what the singer/performer wants them to. The performer is the one that is supposed to bring the energy and enthusiasm.
Gen Z Americans will never understand how iconic Blur are. As a millennial Brit, I would have lost my sh*t if I was in that crowd.
Yup I absolutely love blur. But they haven’t translated into younger audiences like even their rivals oasis that had a couple of hits kids love it. Up thread someone said he should have done gorrilliz, completely agree
Oof, this was a bad response to a bad booking. I’m English and a millennial; this song activates me like a freaking CIA sleeper agent, but I doubt many of the Coachella crowd would know or care who Blur is. If Blur want an audience who know all the lyrics they need to find a nice wedding of a 40-something couple living in Colchester to play.
That sounds like a way better time than Coachella.
Lol! I’m a 40-something American, but I once attended a wedding in Colchester and I can attest that Blur was indeed played.
Ha!
Can confirm. Coming from an American who was OBSESSED with 90s Brit Pop… Blur barely made a blip here until Song 2 was used in the movie Starship Troopers, and then when they rebranded as Gorillaz, Clint Eastwood was huge. But if he was trying to get the crowd riled up with Girls and Boys? That’s a miss, mate.
I had a good laugh at the idea of trying to get a Coachella crowd riled up singing “Parklife,” though. Might have killed the crowd with Wonderwall 🤪
My daughter was at Coachella and said the majority of the audience for No Doubt was just there saving their spot headliner, Tyler the Creator. Poor Gwen
This would have been a great time for Liam or Noel Gallagher to pick a fight. What a let down.
What night was he playing? I know there were several K-Pop groups performing. Those fans are LOUD and enthusiastic with their fanchants and lightsticks. If that’s who was in the crowd, waiting for Korean boy and girls groups, yeah, most would have no clue about this angry guy.
Speaking as a huge Blur fan, their setlist was extremely poor for this event including none of their catchiest or beginner friendly songs. Several deep cuts that lots of people in the UK don’t know. Super puzzling but their fault for completely misjudging it. It would have made for a great small venue gig with their hard-core fans.
HUGE blur fan but definitely gorillizas would have been a better fit with a big production to go with it. Damon was so hot in the day but is now officially old get off my lawn. Sad. But honestly what did you expect honey?
Im 55 and have never heard of this band
1994 was 30 years ago and the Coachella crowd skews young. I assume the youths aren’t giving energy to these legacy acts (I know it hurts us elder millennials, but that’s what blur, Gorillaz, AND No Doubt are in 2024…unless they released new music in the last two years that sold millions and I doubt it because we’d have heard about it) because this isn’t music made by their contemporaries addressing their unique struggles.
The big question is why does Blur even care about Coachella? It’s just a lame luxury shopping experience at this point. It has little to nothing to do with music and a lot more to do with posing in outfits and being photographed at brand houses. It’s worse than Sundance because at least people still (sometimes) see movies while they’re at Sundance.
Getting the crowd to sing isn’t something you can force- either you hear them singing along and pause for a verse and let them take it, or you keep going yourself. Honestly this hissy fit about the crowd not singing is so cringe.
I’ll be honest, I’m 36 and I don’t even know who Blur is. I watched the clip and I don’t recognize the song at all. 🤷🏻♀️
He always does that! Complains about the crowd’s crap singing and says it’s their last gig ever. It’s part of the show.
Blur is an amazing band, but while they were appreciated in 2013 more than this time, it was still not by much as far as being a big draw for Coachella concert-goers. It was a more enthusiastic crowd, though, back then compared to this year. They just aren’t a great fit for the Coachella crowd and never have been. I had wondered if the paycheck was worth it in their minds as they played to such an unenthusiastic crowd this year who don’t know their music. I guess he just answered that question.