At Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie.
Ever since I have liked music, I've liked REM. After tragically missing their 1997 tour with Radiohead, I saw them in 2003 and then again last night. We missed all of opener Old 97's due to an unruly wait time at our restaurant, but settled into our soundbooth-side seats in dead center. The band took the stage around 9:20 and launched into an aggressive set. Michael Stipe has a great voice (as I've documented elsewhere), and Peter Buck and Mike Mills have been able to craft some classic songs through the last 2.5 decades. Click below for more of REM:
They played several songs off of their recently released (to much acclaim) album Supernatural Superserious, which bent the overall feel of the concert too far to the 'rock' side. I prefer a showcase for Stipe's voice with Nightswimming, Country Feedback and E-Bow the Letter (none of which were played) to the endless drubbing of punk-ish songs that squander the textures and sounds the band is capable of. Make no mistake, their quality middle of the road songs (Man on the Moon, Orange Crush, Its the End of The World, Losing My Religion, Drive, etc) were all played to great effect, especially Orange Crush. The arrangement of the song and the harmonies combined with the crowd's enthusiasm made it the best of the night.
Stipe spent a lot of time talking about the 5 years he lived in Texas growing up (he mentioned Killeen, FT. Hood, Copperas Cove and Coryell County). He also praised the dawning of the Obama era (with about 70% cheers and 30% boos), but didn't get too heavy on the politics. Overall it was a good, but not great, show. I'd prefer a haunting unplugged performance, but I'll take whatever I can get. #remdallas
P.S. The Dallas Morning News ran a great feature chronicling all of their Dallas shows over the years. Their review.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
R.E.M. Concert - October 24, 2008
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1 comment:
Nothing makes my heart feel fuzzier than seeing Micheal Stipe dance. Love it.
Another thing I love about them is their lyrical quality. Every song has a story, and every one has always seemed relevant to me. They aren't just appropriate for a white, gay, liberal guy that has spent 25 years in one of the world's best rock bands. His words are poetic, and his writing in elegant, even in the "hardest" of songs. Even their protest songs, which they played a lot of last night, make sense to me and work.
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