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