Co-creator of the Gorillaz and frontman of the Blur, Damon Albarn made his big return to the United States with a single solo performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Monday, January 24th. The evening was filled with music, laughter, and applause while Albarn performed a magnificent walk-through of his music career.
Guests excitedly hurried to their seats as many were eager to see the rock legend perform in the orchestral venue. The lights dimmed and drew everyone’s attention to the stage centered in the middle of the room, highlighting a piano, four orchestral seats, and a bass. The crowd welcomed singer-songwriter, Damon Albarn, with a standing ovation as he blew kisses to the crowd and thanked everyone for the warm welcome.
The rock legend opened with the title track from his new solo record, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows. A marvelous orchestral piece that left guests in complete awe, perfectly matched by soft lighting creating an even more profound atmosphere in the intimate venue. The lighting, the venue, and the orchestral arrangements enabled the audience to experience a unique and emotionally bare performance.
Image by Dustin Downing on behalf of the L.A. Phil.
Of course, Albarn had to please fans with old hits from Blur and Gorillaz. The crowd sang along to the string cover of Gorillaz’s “On Melancholy Hill.” The audience cheered as Albarn replaced the lyric “Westway” for “West Coast” during his cover of Blur’s “Under the Westway” as an admiration to Los Angeles. Many were swayed by Gorillaz’s “Rhinestone Eyes” as bassist Seye Adelekan perfectly harmonized with Albarn, the performance was so uplifting not only was the crowd chanting the chorus it also had an audience member dancing and swirling near their seat.
Albarn took a moment to thank the quartet of string players and bassist Seye Adelekan for joining him on such a special evening as well as their incredible performance. The rock legend also thanked the crowd for their enthusiasm and directly acknowledged every audience section. As Albarn finished performing Blur’s “The Univeral” he referred to his recent interview with L.A. Times reporter Mikael Wood, after a few jokes regarding the interview and controversies that followed, Albarn mentioned that Wood asked if he would perform “Song 2” from Blur during his set after reassuring the audience that it was not initially in his setlist Albarn dedicated the song to Wood. The night closed with the iconic performance of “Song 2” which had a few audience members dancing and cheering.
The night is one for the books as not only was this performance literally one-of-a-kind but a unique offering that allowed Albarn to truly bond with his fans. Let’s hope Albarn and other musicians attempt to recreate experiences like these, experiences in which fans are able to appreciate the emotional and profound versions of artists that are not so often available.
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