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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Stuart Heritage

Tantrums of the rich and famous: nine acts that turned on their audience – from Elton to Bieber to Blur

Damon Albarn on stage at Coachella in California
Damon Albarn on stage at Coachella in California. Photograph: Christopher Victorio/Rex/Shutterstock

When Coachella 2024 comes to be remembered by future generations, the abiding image will be that of Damon Albarn attempting to engage the crowd in a game of call and response, and then failing, and then having a bit of a go at them.

In fairness to Albarn, it was a weird booking. Blur have always fared poorly in the US. Is this the band’s fault for writing all those songs about how much they dislike America? We may never know. Either way, by berating the crowd for their ambivalence – yelling “You’ll never see us again so you may as well fucking sing it” – Blur have joined the ranks of acts who have turned against their audiences.

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