NY, NY 6/19

Could the week be any better? Thursday night's show at the Garden was phenomenal. It's so hard to compare the three that I saw because they were all so different, but I believe the NYC show was the best. There was something in the air at the Garden- besides the marijuana people all around me seemed to be smoking! I will admit I was feeling a bit melancholy heading into the city, knowing it was the last time I'd see these guys together for quite a while, but that all fell off when they took the stage.



They opened with Living Well's the Best Revenge, probably my favorite song off Accelerate. Although they did perform this one at each show I saw, it didn't lose the electricity. Moving on through the setlist, I was floored. On our drive into NYC, my husband and I talked about what we really wanted to hear, he always says Radio Free Europe, and he wanted to hear Mr. Richards- Mike's favorite off Accelerate. My wish was for them to play Drive. If you read my blog about Father's Day you know I spoke to Michael Stipe about that song, and how my kids (the little ones) think he's singing to me when he says "Ollie, Ollie, ..." So my hope was that he remembered the conversation and wanted to play the song. I got my wish. About the 5th song in was Drive, and you would have thought I just won the lottery. Obviously I have no idea if our mini-conversation had anything to do with that song being added to the setlist that night, but a girl can dream, can't she?! I think after hearing that song I actually could have left happy if they left the stage. But, no no there was much more to come.



My husband and I had seats in different sections, but we were close enough that we could see each other when the lighting was right. Every so often we'd catch a glimpse of each other and just smile- this was an amazing night. Ignoreland was another one I had heard the 2 previous shows and it was outstanding once again. It amazes me that a song they wrote nearly 2 decades ago still seems so appropriate today.



The evening had a definite political/partisan tone to it, with Michael Stipe referring to the "pathetic George W Buch" several times. He also made reference to the last show they played at MSG in 2004, which we were there for. It was 2 days after GWB was re-elected, and I remember thinking to myself on election night, "I wonder what the REM show will be like now" knowing how they felt about the Bush administration, and how they worked to help John Kerry. I had really been looking forward to a super charged victorious concert. It was a decidedly different tone from every other show I have seen to date. Very little talking, very political setlist. In fact after playing 10 or so songs, Michael actually said something like "I have no idea what to say tonight, so I decided to let the music speak for us"- it was very appropos. That night they opened with "End of the World As We Know it". It was certainly historical from an REM fan standpoint.



Back to this year, though... you gotta love when Mike Mills takes center stage with his cowboy hat for Rockville. I was amazed at how many really old songs they performed, and how many fans reveled in them. It seemed like the place was packed with real fans, who weren't there for "Everybody Hurts" and the other hit singles. They really got into the rarely performed tunes from Fables of the Reconstruction and Document. My husband was moved when they performed Harborcoat. It brings back crazy, beautiful memories for him.



We managed to leave our seats to head for better ones (something we do fairly often at these shows. Mike is a pro it, I am always afraid to get caught) and ended up one section up, but crazy close to the stage right by Mike Mills. My husband managed to toss a dinosaur to the stage just before REM did "Let Me In". I gave one to Mike Mills a few years ago at the Garden and he added it to their not so little collection on the amps by Peter. I hadn't been able to get close enough to the stage any other night, so that had to suffice.



When they returned for the encore, the place was crazy. My favorite song of the night (besides Drive) was Begin th Begin. I have always loved that one, and live it's even better. They also did the obligatory Losing my Religion and Man on the Moon, but I really enjoy the rarities.

So, my groupie-like fantasy of following the band around the northeast is over. I'm certainly feeling the let down. After looking forward to this for so long, and being so in the moment at the shows, I kind of feel like well, now what? It was all worth it, rearanging our schedules, the exhaustion driving my daughter to her finals the day after a show, the travel time and $- every bit of it was worth it. Because REM is an amazing band- they are a group of talented, smart men who really know how to entertain. I will probably be bored for a while now, and listening to old cd's will have to suffice. Hopefully it won't be too long before they put out another album, and head back my way. But for now, THANK YOU REM for giving this stay at home mom a few days escape- can't wait to do it again!