Saturday the 14th

So, our groupie-like fantasy had to continue. We headed back to NY Saturday to spend some time with the the kids and prepare for another night of REM heaven. After an afternoon playing with the kids and a pre-Father's Day dinner with my extended family, Mike and I headed to Jones Beach for another REM show. This time we brought our 13 year old daughter Amanda. That may not seem like a big deal, but it was hard for me to decide to let her go. Most Moms will understand that there is very little in their every day lives that is actually theirs alone- it's even harder for those of us who don't work outside the home. Sad as it may seem to an outsider, REM is my 'thing'. It is a band of people I respect as musicians and human beings. They make beautiful music that really affects me. So, allowing Amanda to attend her first REM show meant that I wan't just Ali- REM fan for the night, I was also going to be MOM.

Amanda has already been to several good concerts, so she is no novice, butI needed to prepare her for what she would be experiencing by sitting with me. I laid it all on the line for her. The reality is that I embarass her by the simple fact that I am her mother, and she is 13. I didn't plan to spend the evening trying to placate her by sitting peacefully and not singing, dancing, and screaming along when I felt so necessary. Nor would I at any point during REM's time on stage escort her to the bathroom. Fluids were to be cut off after the first opening band to help ensure there were no bathroom emergencies. Amanda was fully briefed and still chose to sit with me (bizarro)- which meant that Mike got the seat by himself, much closer to the stage. At least I tried.

We made it to Jones Beach about 15 minutes before The National took the stage, a band Amanda really wanted to see. After finding our seats, we enjoyed the sound and relaxed just a bit. The clouds were coming in, and looking ominous. I had brought rain ponchos, but left them in the car when Amanda and I decided we wouldn't need them, and even if we did, we wouldn't wear them anyway. Not the smartest move I have ever made. We walked around for a little bit and then sat again for Modest Mouse, who were outstanding. The lightening began, and got more intense as their set went on. I was starting to worry, not so much for our safety, but that I wouldn't get to see REM again. Keep in mind Jones Beach has almost no covered seats, it is literally on the beach with no protection from the elements. If REM hadn't been involved in this show, I would have left immediatly.

The lightening got more and more intense, and I was told that they were planning to evacuate the arena. The rain was coming down hard, and as we got out of our seats just barely into the tunnel that would lead to a lobby like area, lightening hit the structure. Yes, it did actually strike. The sound was incredibly intense, and people were ducking as if they thought peices of the concrete were flying. I could smell something burning, the scent was awful. After a while of no one telling us anything, and rain so intense there were almost instantly inches of rain collecting on the ground, an announcement was made that they were actually planning to restart the concert at 10PM. Now, the rational Mom in me thought that was insane, and probably dangerous. But the REM-fanatic in me was thrilled.

To say we were soaked is an understatement. The rain delay lasted nearly 2 hours, and around 10:15, REM took the stage. Amanda and I hurried past our real seats, up a few rows knowing full well that a lot of people left when the rain started. They opened with a short version of CCR's Have You Ever seen The Rain. The perfect opener. They went on to put on another amazing show. Michael Stipe was flat out funny, and genuinely happy that people stayed through it all. My husband managed to get himself into a center aisle row about 9 from the stage- I was incredibly jealous, but determined to enjoy this show. Mike got his wish when they played 1,000,000 and I was so happy to hear Welcome to the Occupation. I didn't sit once, and was thrilled to see Amanda dancing and singing too. Each of the band members made their way to the front of the stage getting themselves just as wet as the rest of us- that was classy.

A big Thank You to Michael Stipe for going right into the encore songs. He recognized that it would have been silly to have us all sit there while they went off stage just to come back on to play again. And we even got a bonus "End of the World" which Michael had said they would never play again. The rain did not stop through the entire set. The show ended at nearly midnight, and my clothes were so wet they must have weighed 30 pounds. Being at that show felt like we were witnessing something special. REM made sure that everyone who stayed through that storm got a great show- it was worth every rain drop, lightening strike and poke of someone else's umbrella.

Oh, there's more... read on for my journey into Greenwich Village for Michael Stipe's book signing.