Blur: Live at Wembley Stadium

Blur’s latest live album is next up for review. Recorded at their second Wembley show in 2023. This record is a collection of Blur’s best songs. From the hit singles to the future classics. 

Side One opens with, ‘St Charles Square’ a new song from ‘The Ballad of Darren’ a rather racous opening. Complete with a Britpop esque Albarn Oi! Its a bold move to open the biggest gigs of your career with the newest single. That's just typical Blur fashion. The band then take us back to 1991, and one of their very first singles. ‘There’s No Other Way’ it just shows the eclectic collection of songs the band have to dip into. It might be a baggy classic, but it fits right in with the Wembley scale. ‘Popscene’ the song that revived Blur’s career is third in the set. Its's a rapturous singalong, and is delivered at a breathtaking pace thirty years later. The ante is being upped now. ‘Tracy Jacks’ ends Side One, Albarn manages to bring the character to life once again. This time in front of 90,000 fans. Coxon’s guitar sounds as good as it ever had. James and Rowntree keep things ticking as they always have done. This Blur is at its best.

Side Two opens with the mammoth ‘Beetlebum’ the song that saw Blur’s career trajectory change. Its played five songs into this set, and it makes for one of the album's highlights, those singles still stand up all these years later. A real special moment. ‘Trimm Trabb’ is a gem from ‘13’ that Blur fans love and adore. This isn't just the hits there's nods to the fans all the way through the set. ‘Villa Rosie’ from ‘Modern Life is Rubbish’ and ‘Stereoptyoes’ from ‘The Great Escape. The latter being proceeded by a history lesson from Mr Albarn about how Wembley got its name. The album is littered with moments like this. Nothing is cut out, its raw and beautiful. 

Side Three has one of the best runs of songs on the album. ‘Out of Time’ is first, and always has an extra special feeling when played live. Originally recorded for ‘Think Tank’ after Coxon had left the band. Hearing him play the guitar on this song is quite the moment for a Blur fan. The Spanish guitar work is exquisite. Coxon takes vocal duties on the next song ‘Coffee & TV’ another Blur classic, which receives one of the biggest sing alongs of the night. With this being a live album you hear that sing along. 90,000 Blur fans from all over the world singing those songs like their lives depend on it. ‘Under the Westway’ is a late era single, and acts as Blur’s love letter to London. Becoming emotional at the end of the track. Before becoming complatative at the end of the last song on Side Three 1994’s ‘End of the Century. Now being sung by a man whose 30 years older, it still doesn't feel dated. These Blur tracks have stood the test of time. 

Side Four opens with the raccous ‘Sunday Sunday’ It had to be played, it would be wrong if they didn't play it at the biggest gigs of their career, which also happened to be on a Sunday. The band's first number one is next. ‘Country House’ sees the band embrace the song that won the Battle of Britpop despite their attempts to distance themselves from it in the past. It also features a slight cameo from a Mr Phil Daniels. Who gets his full cameo on the next track. ‘Parklife’ the bond Daniels and Albarn share on stage is special, creating one of the moments of the gig. Even with a reference to Quadprohenia with the line ‘What normal anyway’ its a really emotive moment. ‘To the End’ brings this side to an end. With Albarn encouraging the audience to add the French parts in. It slows things down. This song is one of Blur’s forgotten gems. It's one of the best songs from ‘Parklife’ and this live version reinforces that. It's beautiful. 

Side Five opens with ‘Oily Water’ an album track from ‘Modern Life is Rubbish’ another one for the fans. Coxon takes centre stage again, playing the riff like its 1993, rather than 2023. This song is rather different from anything else on the rest of the album. A much darker affair, which sets the band ho for the next song. ‘Advert’ is just as lively as it was in the 90s. Its spiky and punk like. The band really get the balance of sounds right with this record. Everything fits into place. It all sounds real and authentic, you can hear that its a live recording. It feels as close to the real thing as you can get. ‘Song 2’ is the penultimate track on Side Five. Its fast frenetic and the crowd begin to Po-go. The woo-hoos leave the Wembley arches and echo over London. One of my favourite Blur tracks ends ‘Side Five’. A song written about the shipping forecast, in 1994. ‘This is A Low’. It brings the main set to an end. Blur manage to find the beauty in even the most mundane subjects. Written at a time when the band were homesick and down, thirty years later played in front of the biggest crowd of their careers. Each member has their crowning moment. The audience has theirs too as they belt out the chorus like their lives depend on it. The perfect end to the main set, and the perfect end to Side Five. 

Side Six is the album's last side, and is made up of the gigs encore. With five songs instead of four.  ‘Girls & Boys’ Britpop bombast opens. It still sounds modern and contemporary in 2024. StiIt's one of the band's best social commentaries with some of the best lyrics Albarn has ever written. ‘For Tomorrow’ is next another London song. An acoustic-led affair. Which sees Albarn’s social commentary take centre stage. Its another song from ‘Modern Life is Rubbish’ the Blur tour last year seemed to really embrace this record. Its the record that saw them become the band they are today.

‘Tender’ is given a beautiful live version with the London Community Gospel Choir helping the band. It's probably Blur’s most autobiographical effort, and it's quite special hearing them sing it complete with a choir.  ‘The Narcissist’ is the second song from ‘The Ballad of Darren’ despite being a newer song it does not feel out of place, or weaker than the other songs on the record. It's one of my favourite things the band have ever done. The song is a real emotional affair with Albarn and Coxon sharing vocals. One truly amazing moment, one truly amazing song. All good things must come to an end, and in true Blur fashion they bring things to an end with ‘The Universal.’

The song is about a dystopian future, fuelled by special pills. Written by Albarn in 1994 after his experience with Prozac. He couldn't have envisaged what the world would look like in 2023. It has a hopeful chrous though, and the Wembley Faithfull sing it, its moving affair and ends one kfnthe bands best gigs ever. 

This record is a must have for Blur fans. It had everything that makes Blur great. Great songs, the hits, the new stuff, the hidden gems. It shows the band's camaraderie on stage, and the connection they have with the crowd. It also reinforces them as one of the best British bands ever. 

Thank you for reading x