Coachella attendees have been criticised for their lack of respect and enthusiasm for performers during the festival's first weekend. Photo / Getty Images
Coachella attendees have been criticised for their lack of respect and enthusiasm for performers during the festival's first weekend. Photo / Getty Images
On the back of the festival’s first weekend out of two, the crowds at Palm Springs’ star-studded Coachella Festival have been slammed as “embarrassing” after videos posted online showed Blur’s frontman nearly begging the gigantic crowd to sing along to one of the band’s top songs.
Albarn attempted to get the audience to partake in a call-and-response performance to the hook of Blur’s song Girls & Boys, released in 1994. However, the frontman appeared to get increasingly annoyed with the crowd as they failed to join in on the act.
“ow-ow-ow-ah-ah-ow - you go!” Albarn told the crowd, who were soundless in response.
“You’re never seeing us again, so you might as well f***ing sing this,” Albarn then shared, keeping one hand in his pocket. The comment suggested that Blur would not be returning to play at Coachella after their 2024 set.
“Yeah they’re not coming back...” wrote one user who uploaded the video to TikTok, later going viral for Albarn’s awkward remarks.
Damon Albarn of Blur appeared to grow frustrated with the crowd at Coachella for their lack of enthusiasm during the band's performance. Photo / Getty Images
Fans of the band quickly jumped on the internet to throw their support behind the band and apologise for the crowd’s bad energy.
“The crowd for blur at coachella was so embarrassing damon im so sorry i wasn’t there,” one person wrote on X.
“Coachella looks like the f***ing worst. Poor Blur,” wrote a third fan.
“I’m convinced coachella has the worst vibes and people possible. It’s f***ing Blur, show some respect!” said another.
However, some pointed out that Coachella caters to a young demographic, so the crowd’s interest in songs that are 30 years old shouldn’t have been expected by the band.
“Who booked Blur for Coachella in 2024 and expected children to know these songs?!” one fan questioned.
But fans who watched the band perform on Coachella’s live-stream also held similar concerns over the crowd’s energy, with many noting that the crowd was not as enthusiastic as it should have been for the reunion of a band that hadn’t performed live together in nearly a decade.
Members of No Doubt reunited to perform at Coachella Festival on April 13, 2024 in Indio, California. Photo / Getty Images
“As much as I liked the performance last night, the crowd for no doubt was lame,” wrote one person on X.
“I don’t like how dead the crowd was during No Doubt’s set,” said another person.
No Doubt’s setlist included six songs from their hit 1995 album Tragic Kingdom and the Return of Saturn single Bathwater, in which Olivia Rodrigo appeared in a cameo to perform the song with the band.
Apart from Coachella, No Doubt is not scheduled to perform again in the future. Still, fans are holding on to hope with the 30th anniversary of Tragic Kingdom coming up next year, which could be the perfect time for the band to embark on a reunion tour.
The first weekend of Coachella in Indio, California, is currently wrapping up, with the second scheduled for next weekend.
