Blur have announced that they are reuniting for their 35-yer anniversary and will take to the road to perform live at a string of shows around the world.
The rock stars will perform at Wembley for the first time ever and take to the stage at the likes of Japan’s long-running Summer Sonic Festival this summer.
The 1980s band – made up of Alex James, Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Dave Rowntree – went on hiatus in 2015 and then announced their reunion news last year.
Frontman Damon shared that he is ‘really excited’ for the Wembley gig, with guitarist Graham agreeing that he is also ‘really looking forward’ to it in a statement.
So, as Blur fans excitedly wait to see the iconic band perform life once again after a lengthy absence, here’s everything you need to know about their shows…
Exciting: Blur (pictured in February 2012) have announced that they are reuniting for their 35-yer anniversary and will take to the road to perform live at a string of shows around the world
Impressive: The rock stars (pictured in June 2015) will perform at Wembley for the first time ever and take to the stage at the likes of Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival this summer
When will Blur be performing at Wembley Stadium?
As part of their tour, Blur will be performing at Wembley Stadium for the first time, originally only selling tickets for one date, before adding a second due to popularity.
It will be their first headline show in eight years and first ever performance at Wembley Stadium.
The Britpop legends haven’t toured together since their run in support of their comeback LP The Magic Whip, seven years ago.
But they will be returning to stage and making their Wembley debut on July 8, 2023, kicking off at 7pm, followed by a second show at the stadium on July 9, 2023.
Where else will Blur be performing?
Blur will be reuniting on stage for their 35-anniversary this summer, kicking off the tour on June 1 in Spain before their final concert in Japan at the end of August.
They are performing for a total of 17 dates and are set to take to the stage at a string of festivals across Europe and Japan.
They are set to kick of their official tour on July 1 in Barcelona for Primavera Sound 2023.
Dates: Blur (pictured in 2015) will be reuniting on stage for their 35-anniversary this summer, kicking off the tour on June 1 in Spain before their final concert in Japan at the end of August
They will then go on to perform in Madrid on June 8 and Porto on June 10 as part of Portugal’s leg of the Primavera Sound festival.
On June 24, the rock band will then perform at Malahide Castle in Dublin before heading to Amsterdam for a show at the Ziggo Dome on June 27.
Three days later, Blur will appear at Roskilde Festival in Denmark before travelling to Normandy, France, for the Beauregard Festival on July 6.
Then, they will jet back to London for their hotly-anticipated Wembley debut, before returning to France for the Vieilles Charrues Festival on July 14.
Blur have packed in all the festivals and will head across to Italy on July 22 for its Lucca Summer Festival, followed by the Oya Festival in Oslo, Norway, on August 10.
The iconic 1980s band will then take to the stage at Sweden’s Way Out West Festival on August 11, before performing at Finland’s Flow Festival in Helsinki on August 13.
Blur will then jet across to Japan to end their jam-packed summer with two concerts at Summer Sonic 2023.
They will perform in Tokyo for the long-running music festival on August 19, before heading to Osaka for a final performance as part of Summer Sonic 2023.
Reuniting! The 1980s band – made up of (L-R) Graham Coxon, Alex James, Damon Albarn and Dave Rowntree – went on hiatus in 2015 and then announced their reunion news last year
Will there be any warm-up shows?
On Monday, Blur announced that they will be taking to the stage all around the UK before their official tour kicks off for a string of intimate warm-up shows.
The gigs span across four dates in May and give eager fans another chance to see the band reunite live on stage ahead of their Wembley debut.
Blur will first take to the stage at Colchester Arts Centre on May 19, followed by a performance at Eastbourne Winter Gardens on May 21.
They will then head across to Wolverhampton on May 26 to perform at The Halls, before finally wrapping up their warm-up gigs at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall on May 28.
How do I get tickets and where can I buy them?
Tickets for the warm-up gigs went on pre-sale on April 26 at 10am, and fans who had signed up for the Blur mailing list were able to secure their place.
According to reports, pre-sale tickets for Blur’s Colchester and Wolverhampton concerts sold out in mere minutes.
Tickets: Tickets for the warm-up gigs went on pre-sale on April 26 at 10am and some sold out in mere minutes, ahead of the general sale on April 28 at 10am (pictured: Blur’s Damon Albarn)
But never fear, the general sale is set to start at 10am on April 28, giving any other eager fans a chance to secure their tickets for the UK shows.
Tickets will be available through Blur’s official website but they will likely be snapped up quickly, with fans no doubt setting alarms in a bid to get their hands on them.
Blur have already sold out their first Wembley date on July 8, with limited tickets remaining for their second show on July 9.
Fans can get tickets directly through Wembley Stadium’s website or via Blur’s official website, where tickets from £74 are available for July 9 through Ticketmaster.
Tickets for all of Blur’s European and Japan dates are also available through Blur’s official website.
Who will the support acts be?
Talents: British rapper Slowthai (left) will take to the stage with his grime-rap sound, while Mercury Prize Award nominee Self-Esteem (right) is also set to support the band
At Wembley, Blur will be supported on July 8 by Self Esteem, rapper slowthai and musical duo Jockstrap.
Their second Wembley date will also feature performances from Paul Weller and ska band The Selector.
It is not known whether Blur will have any support acts at their intimate warm-up gigs, while they will appear alongside a string of talent at their festival appearances.
Will all of the original Blur members be there?
It will be a full reunion for the four-piece band as Damon, Graham, Alex and Dave all prepare to return to the stage as one.
Frontman Damon has shared that he is ‘really excited’ for the gig, with guitarist Graham agreeing that he is also ‘really looking forward’ to it in a new statement.
Graham shared: ‘I’m really looking forward to playing with my blur brothers again and revisiting all those great songs… blur live shows are always amazing for me.
Looking ahead: ‘After the chaos of the last few years, it’s great to get back out to play some songs together on a summer’s day in London. Hope to see you there,’ agreed Dave (pictured)
‘A nice guitar and an amp turned right up and loads of smiling faces’.
While bassist Alex echoed: ‘There’s always something really special when the four of us get in a room.
‘It’s nice to think that on 8th July that room will be Wembley Stadium.’
‘After the chaos of the last few years, it’s great to get back out to play some songs together on a summer’s day in London. Hope to see you there,’ agreed drummer Dave.
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