Vivek’s Blog

Not my words.  But I agree with them wholeheartedly.  Especially when Mr. Michael Stipe is the one singing them.

Last night, R.E.M. played Madison Square Garden in New York City, and they rocked the arena.  The setlist was fantastic, the sound was great, and the band were enjoying themselves.  They went as far back as Reckoning (3 songs) with this setlist and while no song off Murmur was played, what they did play was extremely satisfying.  I’ve already said how much I love the new album and I enjoyed hearing the new songs.  I belong to the camp that thinks their previous three albums were subpar efforts so it was nice to see that they played almost nothing off those records.

Of course, the hits were all present in abundance - Losing My Religion and Man on the Moon being the highlights of the encore - but they also picked out fan favorites from their older albums.  They came scorching off the blocks with Living Well Is The Best Revenge from the new album and continued with These Days, What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?, and Bad Day before stopping to catch their breath.  Michael Stipe looked smart in his suit and judging by his on-stage antics and that wonderful smile, he was having a good time.  He was quite chatty and introduced several of the songs by briefly explaning what they were about or how old they were.  He called Harborcoat “super-very-old.”  Yes, they played Harborcoat.  The band used an unconventional video projection setup for the show.  Huge screens were suspended behind the band and they showed the band members performing.  They put some fancy effects on the feed to make it look like it came from a pre-recorded DVD or something.  The screens were also used to display other videos and imagery during the songs. (Video from show: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UJ2yHsqJYn4 )

Stipe gave up the center mic to Mike Mills (bassist) for (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville - a nice gesture considering it was Mills who wrote the lyrics.  Fables of the Reconstruction got some love from the band when they played Driver 8.  I love that song so much - it’s been on repeat for most of the day today.  Document was also well-represented with two songs.  As a special treat, the band played Leaving New York and debuted some new video footage during Man-Sized Wreath.  Of course, when Stipe picked up his megaphone and the lights turned orange, I knew it was time for Orange Crush.  It blew my mind.  Then they followed it up with I’m Gonna DJ to close out the main set.  Wow, and I haven’t mentioned Pretty Persuasion or Electrolite yet - beautifully done.

Having seen previous setlists, I knew the encore was going to open with Supernatural Superserious - my favorite off the new album.  And then came the song that a good chunk of the audience was waiting for.  Out came the mandolin and off went R.E.M. into Losing My Religion.  As much as I love the song, I hate the dilettantes who left when it was done.  Hello?  You might not have seen the setlists from the tour, but surely you didn’t think it was the last song of the night?  Or were you only there for this one song?  Your loss folks.  You missed Begin The Begin, Fall On Me, and Man on the Moon.  The last two had Johnny Marr (The Smiths, Modest Mouse) on guitar.  Before the last song, Stipe asked for the house lights to be turned on so that he could see his people.  The whole place erupted with cheers and clapping.  He talked a bit about politics and the last show that R.E.M. at MSG - it came right after the 2004 elections and the band was really pissed that Bush got re-elected then.  But I hope this show will help alleviate those bad memories.  The band were in top form and exuded energy.  I was sitting down for the most part since I had a clear view and wanted to sit back and take in the music and atmosphere.  That doesn’t mean that I was sitting still (lol) the whole time.  I got up ocassionally and was singing and clapping the whole time.  My throat is still a little sore.  The lady sitting next to me felt the urge to get up every 2-3 songs to sway and dance.  It was somewhat disturbing.

The National went on at exactly 7pm and played a great set.  I got to hear Slow Show and although they changed it up a little bit, I still loved it.  Too bad the Garden was only about 10% occupied for their set - damn shame.  Modest Mouse went on next and I thought they were good.  They had two drummers and the guitar work was fabulous.  I must check out their albums.

Wow, this has been a long post.  But I had a great time at the concert and I can unequivocally say that even after 25 years, R.E.M. still know how to put on an amazing show.  Michale Stipe’s voice is as good as ever while Mills and Peter Buck are amazing with their respective instruments.  Touring drummer Bill Rieflin is one hell of a drummer.  The man has white hair but he was hitting those drums hard and fast.  He even left his drum-stool and picked up an acoustic guitar for Let Me In.  All five band members got into a huddle for this song and it was quite moving.

R.E.M. Setlist:
1. Living Well Is the Best Revenge 2. These Days 3. What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? 4. Bad Day 5. Drive 6. Hollow Man 7. Ignoreland 8. Man-Sized Wreath 9. Leaving New York 10. Disturbance At The Heron House 11. Houston 12. Electrolite 13. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville 14. Driver 8 15. Harborcoat 16. The One I Love 17. Until The Day Is Done 18. Let Me In 19. Horse To Water 20. Pretty Persuasion 21. Orange Crush 22. I’m Gonna DJ

Encore:
23. Supernatural Superserious 24. Losing My Religion 25. Begin The Begin 26. Fall On Me 27. Man On The Moon

The National Setlist:
1. Start A War 2. Brainy 3. Baby, We’ll Be Fine 4. Slow Show 5. Mistaken For Strangers 6. Squalor Victoria 7. Secret Meeting 8. Apartment Story 9. Fake Empire 10. Mr. November

I finally got a chance to catch a Euro 2008 game live today as I watched the second half of the Holland vs. France match.  I was very pleased to see the excellent counter-attacking approach adopted by the Dutch.  They have a fine group of players and it was a real shame to see them disappoint in World Cup 2006.  Their mindset was very defensive and they looked more interested in grinding out 1-0 victories.  But after watching them play today, I see how much they have changed in the last two years.  The team is more or less the same but the way they play is much different.

They are playing as a team and even though Nistelrooy and Robben were particularly impressive, this was a team win.  Everyone did their bit and what took down France was the scintillating speed of the Dutch counter-attacks.  It seemed that every time they got the ball near the French box, they would score.  They missed a few good chances but also converted four of them into outstanding goals.  Now both Italy and France have their tournament futures in their own hands.  Winner takes all!  An interesting twist in the tale would be Holland losing to Romania - it would eliminate both Italy and France at once.  But the way they have been playing, I don’t see Holland losing to Romania.

Enough of my gushing.  It’s adequately clear that I loved the Dutch performance today.  In other Euro 2008 news, Portugal are looking good and Ronaldo opened his account against the Czechs.  Germany looked quite weak against Croatia and I’m wondering if they are serious title contenders this time around.  Spain looked menacing in their sole game so far and will probably make it to the next round.  Whether they can finally win a major tournament remains to be seen.

Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan cricket team’s coach, made this bold statement before the India-Pakistan clash:

“I would like to score a 150-run win over India on Tuesday.” [Source:  Cricinfo]

The result, as you may know, was the exact opposite.  India thrashed Pakistan by 140 runs and crushed Lawson’s hopes and expectations.  This not something to be cocky about - after all, it’s just one win, but it makes me happy nonetheless.  Pakistan perhaps got too cocky for their own good.  Their 12-match unbeaten streak included 11 wins against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, who aren’t exactly the fiercest of rivals. Today, their bowling was taken to the cleaners and their batting came apart so fast that they did not even last 40 overs.  Gee, I thought a team capable of beating India by 150 runs would at least bat out their 50 overs!

One piece of advice for Mr. Lawson:  Confidence is good, overconfidence is bad, mmkay?

It’s time for another Euro championship.  I clearly remember Euro 2004 and how Greece came out on top, rather unexpectedly.  I was studying for the SAT and TOEFL exams back then and as we all know, history repeats itself.  So for Euro 2008, I’m preparing for the GRE.  Different standardized test, different championship, different outcome.  Greece will not win again.  For reals.

I haven’t decided whom to support yet.  Traditionally, I go with The Netherlands, Spain, and Italy.  The first two tend to disappoint in spite of having good teams while the third blows hot and cold.  There’s also Portugal under Luiz Felipe Scholari with Cristiano Ronaldo.  Germany, as always, are a great side.  So, there are plenty of good teams in the competition.

I guess I should take a look at all the teams and also the first few games before I decide whom to support.  But right now, I’m just looking forward to some great football action over the next few weeks.  I’m going to try and set up my TV Tuner again to see if my room gets ESPN.  They are broadcasting most (all?) of the games from Euro 2008.  May the best team win!

When the IPL franchises were first announced, I faced a dilemma - which team should I support?  My initial loyalties lay with the Mumbai Indians since I’ve spent about 13 years in Mumbai and I love Sachin Tendulkar.  However, there was the little matter of my “home” team, i.e., the Rajasthan Royals.  Both my parents come from Rajasthan so it happens to be my native state.  Which one would I pick?

After I looked at both teams, I had little confidence in either.  Other franchises had put together better teams, at least on paper.  In my opinion, Mumbai were the better team but after their horrendous start, my enthusiasm for them dwindled.  The Royals on the other hand, were doing exceptionally well.  Still, I stuck with both teams till the end of the league stage when Mumbai were eliminated.  From then on, I was supporting Rajasthan 100%.  They thoroughly deserved the win since they were the most consistent team in the tournament, even if the match went right down to the wire.

Shane Warne was never given the Australian captaincy for his off-the-field antics and he had a point to prove.  The franchise spent the least amount of cash on players but Warne & Co. built a team of winners from relatively unknown players.  He instilled a sense of belief and captained with his vast experience to lead RR to victory.  It was fitting that he was there when the winning runs were hit - nobody will forget his scintillating assault in the last over against the Deccan Chargers when he hammered Symonds to take RR home with a ball to spare.

I thought that the final was a fitting end to the tournament.  While I think the tournament needs to be shortened, it provided plenty of entertainment to cricket fans.  And so was the case with the final - RR getting home on the very last ball ensured an edge-of-your-seat end to the chase.  Unfortunately for Dhoni, he couldn’t conjure another great escape a la the T20 World Cup.  The tournament has thrown a lot of previously unheralded youngsters into the spotlight and hopefully, these guys will be the (bright) future of Indian cricket.

For now, I’m going to savor the sweet taste of victory and wake up early to start research at 9:30am.  See you folks tomorrow.