Hyde Park Life

It's been billed as the last ever Blur gig. All the people - over 100,000 of them in the centre of London, ready to send them off and to raise the last particles of Olympic cheer. Only a few hours before, we had followed the marathon runners around the embankment and past Big Ben. Every straggler was roused and none of the athletes was allowed to falter. There was a little poignancy in the air as the sustained fever was coming to an end. Hence this last party in Hyde Park and the up-for-it congregation.

Bombay Bicycle Club made the case for the new breed while New Order was all throbbing legacy. Even without the bass-straddling form of Peter Hook there was great stature in 'True Faith' and momentous heart in 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' . Likewise with The Specials and those undiminished songs about tolerance, togetherness and fun.

For Blur's appearance, the stage was transformed into a fantasy Walkway. Damon was less overbearing than his night at the Brits and while the setlist was occasionally awry, the hits were present. We roared for Graham and the static of 'Coffee And TV'. There was gospel power in 'Tender', a knees-up with Phil Daniels and such a finale with 'The Universal'. A billowing sayonara to the Games and a musical institution closing the company gates, maybe forever.