Blur’s frontman Damon Albarn expressed his frustration at the “silent” Coachella crowd, vowing never to return after concert-goers refused to sing along during their set.
Fans of Blur were left shocked as new footage emerged on social media showing Damon becoming increasingly irritated with festival attendees during their 13-song performance at the first weekend of Coachella.
The British pop group gave a passionate performance, belting out their hit ’90s classics such as Girls and Boys, Popscene and Song 2.
Throughout the gig, Damon made several attempts to engage with fans and encourage them to join in with the choruses of their chart-topping hits, but was met with an eerie silence.
After numerous attempts to energise the lacklustre American crowd, the 56-year-old musician became visibly frustrated and declared: “You’re never seeing us again, so you might as well f***ing sing it.”
Devoted Blur fans were appalled by the crowd’s reaction to the renowned band’s performance, expressing their outrage in the comments section of the now-viral TikTok footage.
One fan commented: “They have THE Blur playing song two… and that’s the crowd’s reaction… in the UK there would be beers flying.”
Another added: “The UK would go absolutely feral over this. The crowd is very disappointing.”
Another quipped: “And the crowd goes mild,” while a different user responded: “Does this crowd know who’s standing in front of them?”
Blur’s return to the Coachella stage for the first time since 2013 was met with a tepid response, a stark contrast to their previous performance where they belted out all their greatest hits to an ecstatic crowd.
Damon had also graced the festival solo in 2010 with his other project, Gorillaz, delivering a comprehensive set that included the iconic fictional band’s entire discography up to that point and debuting nearly every track from their then-new album Plastic Beach.
If you can’t see the video above, click here to watch it.
Despite the lukewarm reception from some American fans, Blur, comprising Damon, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree, remains a Britpop phenomenon back home in the UK.
The band shot to fame in the ’90s following the release of their seminal album Modern Life Is Rubbish.
After a hiatus due to creative clashes and diverging career paths, the group reunited last year and has been showcasing their unparalleled musical prowess to adoring fans ever since.
An AI tool was used to bring an extra layer to this story.