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Rating: I had been waiting for them since '99 (in '03 they toured without Coxon, without the linchpin of their sound structures, so I didn’t know why I would even go) and this should already give you an idea of the importance this event had for me.
And so here I am in Rome, on July 29, 2013, in front of the Capannelle Hippodrome at 4:00 PM under a scorching heat (I obviously want to enjoy them from the front rows): to kill time, I start observing those around me: among Grunge leftovers (Pearl Jam, Mad Season, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains t-shirts, etc.) and, of course, both '90s and '00s Britrock (Oasis, Radiohead, Libertines, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, My Bloody Valentine t-shirts, etc.), I also notice quite a few people wearing t-shirts of bands from previous decades (Dire Straits, Clash, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Sonic Youth, Pink Floyd, Sex Pistols, etc.), clearly indicating that their musical proposition has become cross-generational, and this can only please me. I also chat with some people (unforgettable is the panegyric on Depeche Mode that a guy in his forties vomits onto the poor folks around him, to whom, fortunately, another replies with the concerts of My Bloody Valentine and Roger Waters) and around 5:45 PM we start entering: "not many people, thankfully," say a guy behind me and I. But no, we were wrong, and quite badly. Around 7:00 PM the crowd is shocking, I honestly didn’t expect so many people. I snag the fifth row, central position, and around 10:00 PM the four arrive, introduced by the suggestive and psychedelic notes of the instrumental "Theme From Retro."
They seem to have stayed the same as when they were twenty, such is the vigor and fun they show on stage: Coxon, with his typical awkward, self-deprecating, and amused attitude, is an absolute monster, there’s nothing to do, the greatest guitarist of his generation, period. Albarn is a frontman with some serious guts (skinny as a rake, he doesn’t stop running, jumping like a madman, shouting and stirring up the crowd for even a fraction of a second, as if he has a bunch of Mexican chilies up his butt, and his voice is a precious instrument), Rowntree and James impose a mind-blowing rhythm section, and together they create that exceptional alchemy they will never rediscover by themselves or with other musicians.
Essentially distorted, dirty, noisy (they were called the "Artschool Noise Terrorists" at their beginnings: "with Graham the secret is to ensure he's making a frightening noise with his guitar" said Albarn about Coxon, and imagine there are still people who believe these guys are well-mannered and clean-cut), but at the same time elaborate and refined, the four pull out one gem after another (should I say it? I’ll say it: among the greatest songwriters ever): the devastating "Popscene," the splendid "Trimm Trabb" and "Beetlebum," the immortal riff of "Parklife," the "freak caravan" (citation) of "Caramel," the inevitable "Song 2," "Country House," and "Girls & Boys" are sonic bombs dropped on the audience, the epic "This Is A Low," "Tender," and "The Universal" enthusiastic and exciting collective celebrations, and "Out Of Time" and "Under The Westway" contemplative moments of quiet. In short, a badass group (and also hilarious, fortunately), incredibly rejuvenated instead of slackened by the twenty-two years they’ve been around, who, since 2009, have been making some of the best concerts in their history. I remember when Albarn declared that "without Graham there’s a massive and horrible hole in Blur’s sound" and that if he hadn’t returned, their story would have ended there: as a real admirer, I really didn’t expect them to enter artistically, as a group, into a second youth, and neither did they.
I return home happy, with a big, fat, silly smile on my face while driving, thinking that no, I didn’t manage to see Nirvana (my other “band”) unfortunately (after all, I was only twelve when "Nevermind" came out) but both Coxon solo a few years ago and, finally, them, yes.
Next time I encounter them, however, I'll show up like this guy they picked out from the crowd at the Milan date, what the heck!
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