Kevin Bronson on April 14th, 2013

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Who: Blur on the main stage
In 3 or Fewer Words: Brilliant (add accent).
Memorable because: Midway through Blur’s crisp co-headlining set, front man Damon Albarn sprinted to the far end of the stage to dole out a hug to the sign-language interpreter. No translation needed – it was but one giddy moment in an hour made in heaven for Britpop fans, as the reunited Londoners brought some of the same from-across-the-pond swagger Pulp did in 2012. And unlike the nightcap of Friday’s Britpop doubleheader, Albarn and crew backed it up with a fierce, on-point performance. “For those of you unfamiliar with us, we’re from England and we’ve just had four months of gray skies and freezing cold … quite an ordeal, really,” the front man said. “All our songs are informed by our bad weather, so it’s nice to enjoy your sunshine.” For many in the modest main-stage crowd, it was an introduction to Blur; the band’s Manchester

rivals Oasis were a bigger deal in the U.S., where the dumbed-down but undeniably ecstatic “Song 2” remains Blur’s biggest calling card. And woo-hoo, the crowd got that song mid-set, along with “Girls & Boys,” “There’s No Other Way,” “Beetlebum,” “Coffee & TV,” “Tender” and “The Universal,” among others. Actor Phil Daniels arrived to guest on “Parklife,” and, overall, Blur and its muscular troupe (four backup singers and horns), playing their first U.S. show in a decade, were everything Anglophiles could have possibly wanted, and more. Anybody else fantasize about re-engineering the whole Britpop thing of the 1990s?
What I’d Tell My Friends Who Were at Grinderman: I reckon you got your money’s worth too, huh?
– K.B. (Photos by Scott Dudelson)