BT London Live Closing Ceremony Concert, Hyde Park

So the Olympics – and possibly Blur – have no distance left to run. The Britpop giants came to Hyde Park to bid farewell to London 2012 – in what may be their final gig together as a band.

Bassist and cheese magnate Alex James was recently quoted saying “if Hyde Park’s sh*t, that’s definitely it”. In truth, though, this gig was always going to be special. Returning the stage on which they performed their legendary 2009 show, Blur treated the 80,000-strong crowd to two hours of unbeatable hits – and a couple of surprises.

Actor Phil Daniels made a cameo on Parklife; comedian Harry Enfield pranced around the stage, dressed as a tea lady; and Damon Albarn led the crowd in a rendition of Mo Farah’s “Mobot” dance.

There were some serious moments, too. Out of Time was “to all the athletes who couldn’t come to the Olympics because their countries are at war”.

Like the Olympic events themselves, success depended largely on where you were in the field: to the side of the stage, the sound was woeful; towards the centre, it was better.

The punkish Song 2 sent pints skywards – an extravagant gesture, given they were £5 a pop – and Tender confirmed itself as Blur’s very own Hey Jude, prompting a mass sing-along.

But it was the lesser-known tracks that were the real triumphs: Young & Lovely, a B-side, emerged as a glorious Beatles-style ballad.

New songs were equally impressive. Under the Westway – a Kinksy piece of social commentary – ranks up there with Blur’s best work: if they wanted to record a new album, you have a feeling it might be a great one.

As it is, when a watery-eyed Albarn bid farewell to the crowd at the end of The Universal, we were left wondering if this might be the last we see of the band.

If Blur are calling it a day, The Specials show no signs of stopping. The ska band’s high-energy set was the perfect complement to a sunny evening. Before that, New Order didn’t exactly capture the Olympic spirit with Love Will Tear Us Apart, but they had the big songs for the big occasion.

This was park life at its brilliant best.