Blur

Italy's embrace of Blur, after a near ten-year absence, couldn't have been warmer. Partly a matter of climate, sure – the thermometers in Milan are brushing forty degrees Celsius – but above all a matter of emotion, the kind that the London quartet's music has never stopped stirring up in fans of every age, in every corner of the world.

Welcoming Albarn and co. back is the Ippodromo del Galoppo, a fine venue that closes out a long calendar of concerts with none other than Blur. Around ten thousand people fill the lawn and the stands from the afternoon onward, though the wait proves longer than expected: the show won't kick off until 9:30pm, well behind schedule, perhaps waiting for the last ray of sunlight to be swallowed by darkness before the dancing can begin.

And what dancing it is. The speakers blast “Theme From Retro” and there's barely time to register that Blur are on stage before “Girls & Boys” kicks in, turning the Ippodromo into a stadium jumping in unison, gripped by a liberating joy that spreads to the stage itself. Damon Albarn, dressed in jeans, a floral shirt and a little jacket (!), doesn't stand still for a second and, all things considered, is still the eternal twenty-something we remember. Graham Coxon also looks thoroughly on form, while Alex James and Dave Rowntree, seemingly more composed, drive a rhythm section of real impact.

The first part of the show gives the sweltering crowd no time to catch its breath: “Popscene” is a ticking time bomb, “There’s No Other Way” sets off the Italian crowd's chants in a crescendo that peaks with the following “Beetlebum”, one of the English band's most beloved anthems, belted out by the ten thousand at the Ippodromo. Two tracks from the album “13” follow, namely “Trimm Trabb” and “Caramel”, breaking the pace of a show that had started at full throttle, after which comes another great classic, “Coffee & Tv”. And here comes the night's loveliest surprise. The crowd pushes toward the stage a fan dressed up (with great skill, it must be said) as a milk carton; Albarn spots him and, through broad gestures, makes clear he wants him up on stage. No sooner said than done: the human carton hops around the stage for the entire song, even turning down the frontman's own request to sing a chorus, but still getting a heartfelt hug from him. In short: if you want to touch the sky, dress up as a milk carton. Or just stand in the front row, because you might find Albarn leaping on top of you while he sings “Country House”, as happens shortly after – with room along the way for “Tender” and a splendid “To The End”.

Every song is met with stadium-sized roars, but it's “Parklife” that sets off collective delirium, with band and crowd alike positively possessed. Blur are in finer form than ever, hungry to take on the world like in the old days, and the fans pick up on this state of grace, sending it back in waves across an increasingly swaying crowd.

The first part of the show closes with two more absolute classics of real weight, namely “End Of A Century” and “This Is A Low”. A few minutes' pause, and the encore opens with the newest addition to the Blur catalogue, the ballad “Under The Westway”, which proves decidedly lovely live too.

Once again, the ending is a crescendo of emotion: it opens with “For Tomorrow”, continues with a spine-tingling “The Universal” and closes just as it began, at full speed with “Song 2”.

It's 11pm, Blur leave the stage, the house lights come back on. The feeling is that the show, having started well behind schedule, was trimmed down in length so as to still finish at the appointed time. A theory backed up by the fact that, before the show, the setlists on stage were taped down and retaped more than once. Truth, or just heat-induced suggestion? We don't know. What remains of the Milan night is a band more alive than ever, still capable of surprising and delighting.

Long live Blur.

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