Blur at Madison Square Garden, New York (23 October 2015)

Setlist Go Out There's No Other Way Lonesome Street Badhead End of a Century Ghost Ship Coffee & TV Out of Time Country Sad Ballad Man Beetlebum Thought I Was a Spaceman Trimm Trabb Tender Parklife Song 2 To the End This Is a Low -- Encore -- Stereotypes Girls & Boys For Tomorrow The Universal Read More Blur After the release of The Magic Whip (first album since Think Tank was released in 2003), this world tour sees Blur play Australia (including the Splendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay) …

It seems Damon Albarn of Blur has felt the years-long sting of not quite being able to translate the band's massive popularity in their native England into the same success in the more elusive U.S.

Damon Albarn in Los Angeles

Playing only two dates in North America at ambitiously large venues -- the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden in New York -- Albarn seemed to be making a statement: we were meant to be legends here, too. Neither show sold out, despite impressive turnouts of diehards from Britpop's '90s heyday to younger late converts and just fans of the pub-by hit "Song 2" (the one where you scream "Woo-hoo!" after your team wins).

Since I'm one of those diehard fans, I'll just say the show was bittersweet. Albarn plans to spend next year working on the band that did break the States, Gorillaz, and he has enough side projects to distract him from the band he first started out in. This may be their last concert in the country they couldn't break.

This may be their last concert...

The band stuck mostly to their set list from L.A., with the addition of the beautiful, swelling pop ballad "End of a Century" and the random, fuzzed-out buzz of "Country Sad Ballad Man," with a blistering, trancelike solo from guitarist Graham Coxon. Fans all around the Garden flashed their cellphone lights in tribute to "Tender," a touching moment likely for fans and band alike. With no Fred Armisen as in L.A., Albarn announced that comedian Mike Myers was also approached but unable to stand in for Phil Daniels on "Parklife." Instead, a small group of fans came onstage, with one lucky young woman giving her all for the first verse while Damon filled in the rest. From "There's No Other Way" to "Go Out," the rest of the setlist was mostly a survey of singles from their catalogue (though sadly missing that charming, silly love song, "Ong Ong" from their most recent The Magic Whip.)

They can jump and thrash in fits, but this is a band that's mellowed with age, in song and in spirit. It's definitely nothing to be ashamed of -- nor, Damon, is your inability to "break America" with Blur. These are a fan's notes, and my heart soared, I sang along, and I was grateful.

robin ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic