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=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: bearman🐻 on July 17, 2003, 01:59:00 pm
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Does anyone know what songs Blur have been playing on this tour? Anyone have a typical setlist? I'm curious to know what I'll be hearing or (more likely what I WON'T get to hear). I'm listening to "Modern Life is Rubbish" and have a strong feeling they won't play anything from it, except maybe "Popscene" if I'm lucky.
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Never mind...just found one for their Seattle gig, and it's pretty OK actually. Lots of new stuff though:
ambulance
beetle bum
girls and boys
badhead
gene by gene
for tomorrow
sweet song
moroccan peoples revolutionary bowls club
tender
caravan
out of time
crazy beat
brothers and sisters
to the end
song 2
trimm trabb
battery in you leg
popscene
on the way to the club
we've got a file on you
this is a low
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that looks like a pretty good set, quite generous in its amount of old singles.
I saw set lists from the London Astoria gigs and feeling like it would have been terrible.
I might actually start looking forward to this show now, maybe.
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why aren't they playing CLINT EASTWOOD anymore?
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Originally posted by chknfngrs:
why aren't they playing CLINT EASTWOOD anymore?
It gets old really quick...... <img src="http://www.retro-games.co.uk/electronic/grandstand/eg_firefox.gif" alt=" - " />
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I'm honestly really surprised to see Badhead and To the End in there. Of course being the U.S., I'm not surprised to see Song 2 and Girls & Boys. However, it's good to see they are still doing For Tomorrow, Popscene, and This Is a Low. Beetlebum is also another favorite of mine. It should be a decent show, I'm glad that they're playing at the 9:30 though and not Nation.
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Well i listened to the new CD last night and it was just plain awful. Please tell me their old stuff isnt incredibly boring and slow......I'd hate to think i spent money to listen to Starsailor all over again!!!!!!!!! :confused:
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Originally posted by Guiny:
I'd hate to think i spent money to listen to Starsailor all over again!!!!!!!!! :confused:
the new album is much worse than starsailor.
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The new album is very different than a lot of their previous material. I wouldn't say it's awful, but I prefer to listen to their happier, Brit-pop stuff like "Modern Life is Rubbish" and "Parklife". And people will scoff, but I honestly love "Leisure", their first LP. Once upon a time, Blur wrote some good pop songs. This last LP isn't the worst I've heard, but I think it's my least favorite. I've finally grown into "13", so maybe this one will make more sense once I've seen the songs performed live. I still think it will be worth going to, but I doubt it will be as good as when I saw them in 1996.
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well if anyone has extra tickets, or tickets they'd like to get rid off let me know... cos Im going to the show and get some outside since its sold out...
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Hmmm. This topic really is too subjective. IMHO Think Tank is the best cd they've done, but has it's valleys. I brushed off Parklife recently after some years and what I remembered is far better than what I heard. 13 was certainly different and Think Tank is nowhere near that "out there" but has flashes of brilliance far exceeding any of their earlier work. I saw them at field day and thought they performed the new stuff rather charmingly.
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BLUR ARE SHITE.
sorry, just a mogwai die hard. i saw blur at st andrews years ago, and if they play any pre-"whoo-hoo" stuff it should be fun.
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I'm surprised that nobody else has posted about last night's Blur show (unless I missed it somewhere). I thought it was absolutely phenomenal. 21 songs total, plenty of oldies, something from every album except "Leisure". When they played "The Universal" I just about wet myself. What a great song. And the version of "Tender" they did was just sublime. All in all, I thought it was a fantastic gig. THey looked and sounded great, and all the new songs from "Think Tank" translated well live. I am really glad I didn't miss that one. The only other time I saw them that was better was the last night of their tour in 1996 at the Capitol Boiler Room...and maybe in 1994 at the Vic Theater in Chicago when Pulp opened. But it was a fun night.
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I was at the gig last night and I was impressed. Think Tank took a while to grow on me, but I like it for the most part. I could've done without "on the way to the club" and "brothers and sisters." For whatever reason, those songs don't do it for me. I'd have preferred "Sweet Song" as that's one of the best on the album, along with "Good Song." And "Battery In Your Leg" is amazing, gives me chills like "Sing" always did. The "Universal" was quite a surprise, dug it when Damon gave Alex a peck on the cheek at the end. It was a real good time,
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I was there last night and even though i know nothing about Blur except for the obvious two songs i was quite impressed. They were great, I have a feeling they are a better live band then cd band. Anyways i was glad i didnt miss it and would definetely see them again, of course i would buy some of their old stuff so i'd know more about them.
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I was impressed as well. I honestly thought "on the way to the club" was worth what all the rest of the songs combined were... but funny how opinions go.. anyhow, I thought Damon started out sort of slow, but built with enthusiasm throughout... must have been that cig. Just a rock star observation: one would think an article of clothing such as a sport jacket would come off before 10 lbs. of water was lost through sweat, but then again, that is the same logic that puts me in the audience and him on stage.
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I was pleasantly surprised by the show last nite. I had seen them on Conan last week and they didn't really inspire me, so i was kind of worried about how the show would be..but it was awesome! I wish i had been on the floor tho instead of the balcony, it looked like tons of fun down there. However, due to a 20 mile run yesterday morning and then dropping a dresser on my foot 2 hours later, i wasn't in the best mood and figured that i'd be better off in the balcony.
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that show was so much fun last night. again, like most of you, i didn't know what to expect but was more than pleasantly surprised. and no talking idiots around me this time too!
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David Segal apparantly didn't have as good of a time as we did:
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 21, 2003; Page C01
Have we offended Blur? Did one of you lift the band's wallet, or short its sheets? Is there a joker among us who gave lead singer Damon Albarn a wedgie?
These are fair questions, given the punishment Blur inflicted on fans at the 9:30 club on Friday night. Ordinarily, the search for what motivates rockers starts with money and sex. With Blur, on this tour anyway, one possibility seems to be revenge.
Nearly half the show was unwatchable. Literally unwatchable, as in, you couldn't look at it. For some catastrophic reason, Blur decided that simply illuminating the band wouldn't cut it. Instead, nearly all the wattage for this show came from the stage, much of it from eight rectangular high beams, parked behind the musicians and pointed at the audience, flickering and changing color to eye-withering effect. Occasionally, a set of Technicolor kliegs were thrown in, sweeping the crowd in slow and menacing circles, like search lights at a disco prison. Imagine being interrogated at the Vegas Flamingo, only louder and without the possibility of blackjack.
Most fans did their best to ignore the visuals, while others squinted or closed their eyes or looked at the side walls. The lights flickered faster and brighter whenever the band sprang into an upbeat number, like the stadium classic "Song 2" -- known better as "the woo hoo song" -- or "We've Got a File on You," a Ramones-like track from Blur's latest album, "Think Tank." The effect was perverse: Visually the show hurt most when the band rocked hardest, so you couldn't help hoping the group would keep things dull.
And for long stretches, they did. Beneath the fatally distracting surface were a dozen-plus old favorites and a handful of new cuts, a 100-minute set that pleased the faithful but won't win over newcomers. For years, Blur has been panning for album gold in the United States, though with less success than Oasis, their main rivals in England. Oasis flourished here for a while, but aside from "Song 2" Blur never had a high radio profile.
"Think Tank" hasn't helped. The album dabbles in the world beats that have fascinated Albarn in recent years, and for this show, the group was augmented with an extra percussionist, three backup singers and guitarist Simon Tong, who was brought along to replace Graham Coxon, who has quit the group.
The new stuff, such as "Ambulance," which opened the show, and "Battery in Your Leg" and "Caravan," relies more on soul than momentum, but these songs plod self-indulgently. Albarn has a voice that can do just about anything -- soul, disco, Johnny Rotten punk -- and never lose its adolescent sense of wonder or its velvety finish. But his attempts to reinvent Blur flounder whenever he forgets that he's not as interesting as his music, or as interesting as the band once it wraps both hands around a beat. It did just that on "Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club," one of the most overtly African-sounding tracks on "Think."
It'd be easier to forgive Albarn's occasional streak of narcissism if he expended more effort wooing fans. The guy's idea of a transition on Friday night was to mumble incomprehensibly to his band mates, then announce to the crowd, "I just wanted to pause between that song and this one." To Albarn's everlasting credit, he plunged headfirst into the audience toward the end of the set, a dive that was all the more impressive because it seemed utterly spontaneous, as though even he wasn't told about it in advance.
Blinded as they were, the audience never saw it coming.
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Originally posted by MaLo:
These are fair questions, given the punishment Blur inflicted on fans at the 9:30 club on Friday night.
Wasnt the show on Saturday night? I suppose a little crack never hurt nobody, but maybe this guy doesnt have a fucking clue what he's talking about. haha.
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big f'n surprise that david segal didn't like the show. he doesn't now his ass from his elbow when it comes to music. and apparently doesn't know his days of the week. perhaps he should start wearing days of the week underoos so he can get his story straight. wanker.
he's dissed several other shows that were clearly stunning performances.
btw, his email isn't on the post website, but i have a feeling its segald@washpost.com.
i just sent him this.
david--
read the review this morning. don't agree with you at all, but you're entitled to your opinion. however, the show was saturday, not friday. if you're going to diss the show, at least get the date correct, eh?
thankie.
leslie
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btw, anyone have a set list of the show on saturday?
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Ambulance
Beetlebum
Girls and Boys
Gene by Gene
For Tomorrow
Good Song
Moroccan Peoples Revolutionary Bowls Club
Tender
Caravan
Out of Time
Crazy Beat
Brothers and Sisters
To the End
Song 2
Trimm Trabb
Battery in Your Leg
The Universal
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Popscene
On the Way to the Club
We've Got a File on You (x2)
This is a Low
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I thought the lights were a great part of the show, especially during the slower songs. Yes occasionally you got the one or two bright white lights that just stuck in your face but that was still rare. And the part about "100-minute set that pleased the faithful but won't win over newcomers", sorry but i'm pretty much a new comer since i only knew the two basic songs but they certainly won me over. I had a great time there. And i will also say that there old fans are very faithful cause that place was still packed to the back door during the encore when most people leave. I must admit i wish they had more hard stuff, cause they kicked ass with the little they had, but to totally diss that concert is just ludicrios (sp).
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At least he knows how to spell "know" and capitalize sentences. It does my heart good to see 21st century Britpop exposed for the bland mediocrity that it is. :)
Originally posted by lily1:
big f'n surprise that david segal didn't like the show. he doesn't now his ass from his elbow when it comes to music. and apparently doesn't know his days of the week. perhaps he should start wearing days of the week underoos so he can get his story straight. wanker.
he's dissed several other shows that were clearly stunning performances.
btw, his email isn't on the post website, but i have a feeling its segald@washpost.com.
i just sent him this.
david--
read the review this morning. don't agree with you at all, but you're entitled to your opinion. however, the show was saturday, not friday. if you're going to diss the show, at least get the date correct, eh?
thankie.
leslie
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thanks malo.
same guiny. always wanted to see the band, never bought any of the albums so wasn't overly familiar with the stuff but i still had a great time.
my only complaint? the bass was off the first couple of songs and there was some feedback issues about 3/4 thru the show with the guitar. but that's just a sound issue and nothing to do with the band.
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i've been humbled this monday morning, rhett! :D i wonder if david segal will write back with the same response? :D
so i wonder if fico was able to score extra tickets? there were a fair bunch of folks milling about looking for extra tickets.
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I'm just teasing, of course. :) The important thing is YOU enjoyed the show. Doesn't really matter what some lame critic thinks anyway....or someone like me who didn't even go to the show.
Originally posted by lily1:
thanks malo.
same guiny. always wanted to see the band, never bought any of the albums so wasn't overly familiar with the stuff but i still had a great time.
my only complaint? the bass was off the first couple of songs and there was some feedback issues about 3/4 thru the show with the guitar. but that's just a sound issue and nothing to do with the band.
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Too bad he didn't have a good time. Being a rock critic is such a bitch of a job, ain't it? Here's the e-mail I sent to him.
Dear David,
You're entitled to your own opinion about the Blur show, but if you're going to do a review, at least get the night of the show correct. And if you have no interest in Blur and don't care for the band in the least, then why go to the show, have a miserable time, and bash the band? The rest of us clearly had a good time. And those of us that have seen Blur before at least understand that Blur have stopped trying to woo America (actually, they NEVER even tired...they have songs like "Magic America", not that you would really clue into that). Were you even there on Saturday? Rock critic as a profession is hilarious...you have about as much contribution to society as professional golfer. We appreciate you trying to sound as though you know what you're talking about...but in the case of this review, you don't have a clue.
Joe
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Personally I thought it was a great gig. There was a good selection of past and present including classics like popscene and for tommorrow. I last saw Blur at the SECC in Glasgow I think in 1995 and I think Sat's show was definitely on a par. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Also I'm not sure I understand people complaining about too many songs from Think tank. Any time a band brings out a new album they are obviously going to promote it with a good chunk of the set list. Hsppens at just about every show. Usually that is the whole purpose of the tour.
I was pleasantly surprised by how many oldies they played. Incidentally can anyone post that knob Segals' email address? What a pathetic review that was! I just have to respond.
cheers
Rab
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Originally posted by lily1:
i've been humbled this monday morning, rhett! :D i wonder if david segal will write back with the same response? :D
so i wonder if fico was able to score extra tickets? there were a fair bunch of folks milling about looking for extra tickets.
A great show all around... I got tickets 5 minutes before the show started but made my way to front (stage right) with ease.... I haven't bought Think Tank but the new songs faired better live than what I have heard on record...and the Post fella nailed it when he said Damon can sing pretty much whatever he wants with his voice.. Alex James proved what I've said so many times..he is by far the most underrated bass player in Brit-pop.. for my money he is the best and I would know a bit of that being a longtime bass player meself... I think it was a good time.. the band was in good spirits and the crowd was as lively as a DC crowd will get for a non nu-metal, emo or punk show...
as Frank the Tank would say "I saw Blur, they were glorius"... Good times..
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Originally posted by Rab:
. I last saw Blur at the SECC in Glasgow I think in 1995 and I think Sat's show was definitely on a par.
that was also the last place and time i saw them........
it was a great show, and damon is still beautiful, and that reviewer is a knob
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
Originally posted by Rab:
[qb] . I last saw Blur at the SECC in Glasgow I think in 1995 and I think Sat's show was definitely on a par. [/b]
Was it really 1995? Have I really known Poorlulu 8 years? It was the great escape tour wasnt it? So I guess it must have been.
I think they could have arranged the setlist much better. The show never gained momentum because of the new songs being crap. They shoulda played one old song to get everyone going then a bunch of new songs and then all the ols songs back to back.
As it was I got all excited by an old song and then, "I am so sorry lately" shite.
Oh and BTW if one of those laser spots shine in your eyes if you move your head about 6 inches it wont be in your eyes anymore. Anyone who goes to lots of concerts knows that though, right?
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Maybe some of our better schooled here can compose an editorial of sorts to the post. The reward is not as much to stick up for Blur (many more bands I'd rather back) but to "put a sock in" a critic that obviously wasn't "there". This type of journalism should not be tolerated... I'm not responsible for my opinions, but a professional critic is (should) be.
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The problem is, if you go back and read the review again, ignoring the stupid stuff at the start about the lighting, it is not such an unreasonable review. But then it is clear that neither the reviewer or I are that fond of think tank. Nor for that matter of bands that reinvent themselves every album just for the sake of reinvention.
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Instead of writing to Jenkins, you should write to the Editor. Jenkins doesn't care what any of us think but his Editor does.
Wonder if he's just pissed because maybe he was snubbed at the dressing room after the show and wasn't allowed in for an interview. Hard to say but it could be revenge.
Or maybe Jenkins needs some vitamin A in his diet.
And I still like Think Tank, especially Moroccan Revolutionaries Bowls Club.
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Bunnyman, I have a friend who is a professional golfer and he works his ass off.
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Critics who review shows generally don't seek interviews with the bands after the show. Unless he also writes for another publication, I don't see why he would be seeking an interview, since, thankfully, the Post doesn't normally consider interviews with cult status bands like Blur newsworthy.
Why would you write a letter to the editor complaining about a concert review? It's entirely one person's opinion.
Originally posted by Jaguär:
Instead of writing to Jenkins, you should write to the Editor. Jenkins doesn't care what any of us think but his Editor does.
Wonder if he's just pissed because maybe he was snubbed at the dressing room after the show and wasn't allowed in for an interview. Hard to say but it could be revenge.
Or maybe Jenkins needs some vitamin A in his diet.
And I still like Think Tank, especially Moroccan Revolutionaries Bowls Club.
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Bunnyman, I have a friend who is a professional golfer and he works his ass off.
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who is Jenkins?
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My husband and I attended the show and LOVED it. (Worst part: $4.00 for a beer. Can you tell I don't get out much?!) As for the Post's David Segal: Sounds to me as though he took a cue from the Jayson Blair school of journalism and did not actually attend. If any of y'all write to Segal, know this: To lump him in the same league as The NYT's disgraced scribe Jayson Blair is gonna hurt, so please use the comparison selectively and responsibly.
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The Post music reviewers are constantly getting their facts screwed up. I think it's just a matter of them putting their good reporters onto real stories, and paying some freelance hacks to write their music reviews.
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Originally posted by Bob Pollard:
who is Jenkins?
Okay, wrong guy. I was confusing him with the Idlewild reviewer. You get the idea.
And Rhett, if they didn't care at all about music reviews, they wouldn't publish them in the first place. The point is letting the paper, who wants our business, know that they are assinging someone who is not doing his job responsibily. There are plenty of other good journalists out there who would love to have his job and the paper knows it. No, music doesn't compare to front page news but they also know that the readers want their entertainment too.
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Do any of you really pay 35 cents to read the music reviews?
Originally posted by Jaguär:
Originally posted by Bob Pollard:
who is Jenkins?
Okay, wrong guy. I was confusing him with the Idlewild reviewer. You get the idea.
And Rhett, if they didn't care at all about music reviews, they wouldn't publish them in the first place. The point is letting the paper, who wants our business, know that they are assinging someone who is not doing his job responsibily. There are plenty of other good journalists out there who would love to have his job and the paper knows it. No, music doesn't compare to front page news but they also know that the readers want their entertainment too. [/b]
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Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Do any of you really pay 35 cents to read the music reviews?
Originally posted by Jaguär:
Originally posted by Bob Pollard:
who is Jenkins?
Okay, wrong guy. I was confusing him with the Idlewild reviewer. You get the idea.
And Rhett, if they didn't care at all about music reviews, they wouldn't publish them in the first place. The point is letting the paper, who wants our business, know that they are assinging someone who is not doing his job responsibily. There are plenty of other good journalists out there who would love to have his job and the paper knows it. No, music doesn't compare to front page news but they also know that the readers want their entertainment too. [/b]
[/b]
I've known plenty of people to buy a newspaper solely for the purpose of the entertainment section, for whatever reason. Sometimes it's to get movie or event listings. The point being is that the big wigs want a good paper from front to back, especially in this day and age when hard copy newpapers are having sales problems. They do have competition and some of it is free.
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Other Segal highlights for the last year or two:
-Bashing Sigur Ros for singing in jiberish
-Bashing Godspeed You! Black Emperor for being too dull
This man should get a pulitzer.
And the thing is, he clearly likes rock bands, I remember positive reviews of the Hives and Elvis C, but anything that's challenging and he resorts to cheap shots.
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Originally posted by mjnova:
anything that's challenging and he resorts to cheap shots.
you make it sound like Markie is David Segal
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Originally posted by Robert Pollard:
you make it sound like Markie is David Segal
they could be related.
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I think you missed heard me, I said I want to be like Steven Seagal....... <img src="http://www.didi.ch/Film/Action/bilder/seagal2.jpg" alt=" - " />
I like challenging music, hey I challenge you to enjoy listening to Avril Lavigne.
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The show ruled! Blur still kicks some serous ass! New album is great too eventhough I still miss good old brit-pop touch.
How about the opening band? Did anyone get a kick out of their performance? I certainly did! Lotsa energy and their drummer is DA MAN!
As for the WP review, who cares what they say. Who reads their crap anyway :)
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Saw the Philly show last night...absolutely brilliant. One of the very best shows I've seen this year. The audience was fantastic, and the whole band were in great spirits. Plus, we were treated to an outstanding setlist. If DC was HALF as good, Segal should shoot himself in the forehead.
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Originally posted by walkman:
Saw the Philly show last night...absolutely brilliant. One of the very best shows I've seen this year. The audience was fantastic, and the whole band were in great spirits. Plus, we were treated to an outstanding setlist. If DC was HALF as good, Segal should shoot himself in the forehead.
I think the consensus seems to be that he didn't have a clue what he was talking about. I mean c'mon a review about lighting? At a rave maybe but that just smacks of laziness.
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Originally posted by mjnova:
that just smacks of laziness.
Hey, we use that word a little more carefully in here.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
Originally posted by mjnova:
that just smacks of laziness.
Hey, we use that word a little more carefully in here. [/b]
Hey, if Segal smacked of Smackie, I don't think any of us would complain.
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i saw the philly show last night, too. i also saw the d.c. show and i think the d.c. show was better. although the philly show was amazing and i got to hear "sweet song." i hope blur comes back soon.