Fresh from headlining Glastonbury,
Blur complete their triumphant reunion in front of 55,000 people in London.
According to the
NME it was an emotional affair:
After playing 'Parklife', which saw actor Phil Daniels join the band onstage to sing his vocal parts, Albarn went up the microphone but seemed lost for words. Gazing into the audience with a big smile on his face, he paused before simply stating "Thank you!"and raising both of his arms in the air.
"This is our last gig in London, and England. It's been amazing. We weren't sure if it was possible, but this is something else," Albarn said after the band finished 'Song 2'. The track had seen many fans cheer and chant the name of drummer Rowntree, whose beat started the song.
Finishing their set with a euphoric double of 'For Tomorrow' and 'The Universal', Albarn paid tribute to the people behind the scenes who he said had "bullied" Blur into getting back in touch with each other since going on hiatus after 2003 album 'Think Tank'.
"I just wanna say thank you to everyone who sort of bullied us and persisted in getting us to do this," he said, adding to the audience "And thank you too!"
A spectacular bit of footage:
Blur - 'Girls and Boys' live at Hyde Park 2009