How Blur Just Became My Favorite Band

Isn't it great when you see a band live and it completely elevates your feelings about them. Blur just went from a band I love, to a band I insanely love and obsess about. I was looking forward to Blur's set at Coachella 2013 (weekend 1) all year and it was worth the wait. They were amazing, but they weren't flawless, they actually made a quite few mistakes and the crowd was relatively tame from what youtube videos led me to expect from a Blur show, but Blur made me feel. I was happy, I was sad, I was in the palm of Damon Albarn's hand as he led us through some of Blur's most intellectual and emotional songs. The devastating thing is that may have been the first and last time I get to see Blur, as they don't have any other dates in America, let alone Chicago.

Blur's Coachella set, snuck up on me. At Coachella, I would mention them as a highlight along with How to Destroy Angels (Trent Reznor's side project), Hot Chip and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's. When I returned home to Chicago, I quickly learned that Blur towered over all other bands in my mind's eye. It's all I could listen to. First I put on Parklife, the epitome of Brit Pop's heady, but accessible 3 minute songs. "Girls and Boys", Blur's set opener and track 1 of "Parklife", is rock music that makes you want to dance because anything is possible. "End of the Century" and "Parklife" remind us not to be satisfied with just going through the motions. There's more to life than watching television.

Next I dove head first into 13, listening with new ears and remembering Damon and his hundred mile stare. What can I say about "Tender", that hasn't been said before? It is a beautiful song that is somehow simultaneously joyous and heartbreaking. I found myself tearing up listening to "Caramel", putting myself in that place of loneliness. “Where is the magic?” Damon groans. As it turns out the magic is in the music, and the ability to convey emotion to millions of people across the globe.

I obviously took a spin over to wikipedia, to quickly learn everything I need to know about Blur.  Insert "wikipedia is the best place to get info" joke here :)  I read all about failed relationships, struggles with drugs and the ever present, up and down friendship at the core of the band between Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon. I then listened again, trying to figure out the dynamic of each track. Why was is written? Was it personal or a statement on life in general?

I am truly grateful that I had the opportunity to see Blur. They easily could have been a band that remained casually in my mid-day music rotation, background music for whatever I was working on, but after seeing them live, I have found that their music touches my soul. It is to be listened to in headphones with no distractions. Excuse me as I close this up so I can listen to Modern Life is Rubbish.

video by AllShowsGo!

Please share your experiences where a live show took a band to the next level for you. Thanks for reading!