Damon Albarn and Bobby Womack was at New York's Apple Store Soho last night, and not only did they perform a medley from Womack's latest album (co-produced by the Blur singer), but some new Blur developments were revealed by Damon after the show.
Blur, it turned out, has "plans" for a US Tour for 2013. One of our readers was at the performance, and told us the detailed run down of the meet and greet:
"I was at Damon's performance with Bobby Womack at the Apple Store in Soho last night. They opened with a Q&A featuring Womack, Damon and Richard Russell which was moderated by a semi-informed Rolling Stone journalist, took a few questions from the crowd and then played six songs from Bravest Man in the Universe with Damon on piano. Womack was astonishingly good, and while many vocalists seem to lose their range the older they get, such is not the case with the soul legend."
According to the reader, who sent us the news, Damon Albarn said that Blur had been discussing the possibility of playing shows in the USA next year for 2013, but wanted to be sure there would be the demand for it. Another member of the audience noted that Damon was "non-committal" about the prospects of a Blur American tour, but did not seem to dismiss the idea completely.
Blur always had ambivalent attitudes towards their American 'success' - their first tour in 1991 to promote Leisure and 'There's No Other Way' was short and sweet, just as any first tours would be. But the next one in 1992 was rather close to a disaster - broke, penniless and depressed, Blur had no album to promote and were forced to sell merchandise to pay off their debts. Fast forward many years, and a few more Blur US tours, Damon Albarn finally successfully dominated the American charts by his band Gorillaz.
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Damon Albarn, Richard Russell and Bobby Womack will also appear on the local talk show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, where they will be guests alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Penny Marshall on Friday, September 21st 2012. For all fans currently in US, this is a must watch and a rare chance to see Damon Albarn on American television.
The Damon Albarn and Bobby Womack Apple Store event was filmed for a podcast series called 'Events at the Apple Store', which will be available for download soon.
Maybe Damon and Blur will shed more light on their "planned" American tour. Or are they still remaining tight lipped ?
Meanwhile, stay tuned for more new Blur developments, and watch the footage of a performance below.
Order the new Blur: Parklife (Live at Hyde Park CD / DVD) HERE
Blur Exhibition review and photos HERE
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