Blur at Glastonbury 2009 | Review (original) (raw)

Who: Blur

Where and when: Pyramid stage, 9.50pm, Sunday

Dress code: Damon's going for the Mike Skinner geezer look with his gold chains and Fred Perry shirt. Alex James has finally sorted himself out with a haircut and a wash. Dave Rowntree looks like he's taking time out from legal work to drum with his old schoolmates (funny that ...). And Graham? He's still the coolest Blur member by a few dozen miles.

What happened: And so this is what it's come to. The man who once masterminded grand Chinese operas. Who boasted of writing compositions in the pentatonic scale. Who spent the last decade striving to be noted for his serious musicianship. And here he is, rolling around the floor screaming "woo-hoo!" over crackling cartoon punk-rock and looking like he's having the time of his life. Tch! He should be ashamed! Did Blur not see the serious, studied musicianship of Neil Young? Can they not remember the lessons set by the Boss, that all Glastonbury headline sets must involve seven hours of sturdy rock while the crowd crosses their fingers in the hope of hearing Yawn in the USA? I mean, just who gave these guys permission to have the time of their lives?

Because, tonight, Blur are sticking their fingers up to dad-rock by falling in love all over again with the dumb art of playing pop music – and playing it loudly. Girls and Boys literally throbs with sordid energy, Song 2 sees the crowd threatening to pogo themselves off the earth's axis, and Parklife turns every man, woman and anarcho-crustie into a cockney geeza.

It's hit after hit after hit. From She's So High to the Universal, via Popscene, For Tomorrow and Country House, it's nothing short of relentless.

Some thing's haven't changed, of course. Dave is virtually anonymous, Graham spends the most thrilling, spinetingling moments staring at his fretboard and Alex stands on the stage amps, desperate to hog the spotlight that little bit more than his bandmates. We wouldn't want it any other way.

But for all their energy, it's the sad songs that work best: To the End, The Universal, This is a Low. Weirder still is the reaction to Tender, a song never really rated (at least by me) as a classic, transformed into a joyous hug-a-long that reverberates around the crowd after the first encore and the second encore.

It's at this point – when previously dismissed tracks acquire a new life of their own – that you realise something truly magical is going on. Because tonight's headline slot is not just about the music. It's not even about nostalgia. It's about friendship – and the truly heartwarming sight of two best friends throwing aside their differences and starting afresh.

It's also the cherry on the cake of a trend that's defined the weekend. Despite talk of the "dad-rock" lineup, Blur made sure that the real winner at this year's Glastonbury was pop music. They weren't alone, of course. Earlier in the weekend, La Roux packed a tent out with glitter-strewn girls who clearly wanted to be just like her. Dizzee created a Pyramid stage frenzy by unleashing a series of b-b-b-bonkers mainstream hits. And Lady Gaga showed that a 20-minute guitar solo can't really compete with straddling a motorbike and baring your arse. Battle lines had been drawn – it was the pop scenesters who triumphed.

So sure, Young played a great gig for his fans. And Springsteen put on a fantastic show for Boss devotees. But Damon, Graham, Alex and Dave? They put on a show that touched every heart in Pilton.

Who's watching: Seemingly everyone apart from the most obsessive Black Eyed Peas fans. And we're all hugging each other.

High point: Damon breaking down in tears after To the End. Talented but not always entirely likable singer proves he's human after all.

Low point: Just the one tiny flaw: Alex James's sweat patches.

In a Tweet: Blur: the best Glastonbury headliners in an age? It really, really, really did happen.