Blur & dEUS – Point Depot, Dublin ‘99

I don’t know many people who didn’t witness Blur play Glastonbury either in person or more likely on BBC last night (1.9million viewers according to the Guardian -and 7 million tuned into Glastonbury coverage throughout). I was watching online before the whole bandwidth was clogged up and I had to turn on my shoe box telly. And even on this Blur where bloody brilliant. Just showed what a great band they are. Sitting on the floor in front of my telly like a kid on a Saturday morning, I was totally excited in the moment and it got me thinking to my first gig.

Blur @ Glasto 2009

In 1999 I would have been a whole 14 years of age. And it was around this time that the first signs of my unhealthy relationship with music began to show. My memory is a bit fuzzy in some places but ultimately the lead up to and the night of 22nd July ‘99 will always be ingrained in my mind.

My memory starts with buying ‘13′ in Wee Gerry’s music shop in Donegal Town on my way to grab the bus to Navan with my sister. I didn’t have a portable CD player at the time, so I’m guessing I nicked my brothers. I remember thinking, ‘I must know these songs’ before tomorrow. So I listened on repeat on the bus till we arrived at my aunts. I listened to ‘13′ the moment I was in the door and then fell asleep listening to…. ‘13′.

The next day was to be the first gig I had EVER been to. I remember lining up and worrying if they’d let me in. Anxiously I waited, and moved forward and waited and moved forward. And once through, I ran! Right to the front barrier. Don’t know if my sister was as impressed to be there so early but I thank her now. (She also came to Glasgow with me for Smashing pumpkins the next year and I will be forever grateful).

Opening up were dEUS, and although I had vaguely heard of them before, I had never listened to them. Little did I know what I was witnessing! I just found a wee review on Cluas which has made me discover that instead of Blur or dEUS being the first band I witnessed live, it was probably Shack… but I have no recollection of them at all.  dEUS on the other hand, I remember blowing my little mind – and that was without knowing any of the songs.

Then Blur came on and I just remember being in glee the whole time. Right against the barrier in front of Graham Coxon. One of the most ecstatic moments of my life at that point. I’d just discovered the absolute thrill of live music.

There’s a bootleg floating about somewhere and I think I need to find this. At the time I reckon alot of people probably thought Blurs hayday was coming to an end, but when you consider ‘Tender’, ‘Coffee & TV’ and ‘No Distance Left to Run’ where all of ‘13′, hindsight is a great thing.

Here’s the setlist from ‘99 and wee reviews here:

Tender
Bugman
Coffee & TV
1992
BLUR EMI
Chinese Bombs
Advert
Coping
Popscene
Trimm Trabb
Battle
No Distance Left To Run
——————
Beetlebum
Country Sad Ballad Man
To the End
This is a Low
—————–
Girls & Boys
There’s no other Way
Parklife
Song II

Seriously Worth watching Blurs set at Glastonbury 2009 and all the BBC coverage. It really is amazing what they cover from the weekend, and even though I haven’t got digi telly I could watch BBC 3 & 4 live online and other packaged material on the site. Absolutely brilliant covereage:

BBC Glastonbury

Also, if you’re like me and all my Blur CDs are back in your parents, then you may make similar use of Spotify which has the works:

Blur on Spotify