R.E.M. Wrap-Up, Part 2: General Impressions

Part of the reason for the slow updates on these R.E.M. shows comes from a bit of overload; by seeing three shows in a week’s time (and with all the travel involved, free time being spent resting rather than blogging) it was hard to write about each show in complete isolation.  While each show had its own peculiarities and personally special moments, the three R.E.M. sets had a lot in common with each other.  So, I’ve decided to use this second post to cover a lot of the general thoughts and reactions to seeing the band at this point in time.  The third (and final) post will cover the events surrounding the shows that made each one unique and unforgettable.

The Accelerate tour was the third different tour (and the third, fourth, and fifth times individually) that I’ve seen R.E.M. live (I saw the band in the fall of 1999 and fall 2003 as well) and I’m confident enough to say that this was the best I’ve seen the band.  With no disrespect intended towards the previous touring outfits (and in particular, I wish Ken Stringfellow was still playing with the band), this version – Buck, Mills, Stipe, The Minus 5’s Scott McCaughey, and former Ministry drummer Bill Rieflin – tore through material both new and old; whether launching into “Living Well is the Best Revenge” or cracking out songs from 1982’s Chronic Town EP (I heard both “1,000,000″ and “Wolves, Lower”), the quintet performed each song as if it was the current single.  I understand why R.E.M. officially bills itself as a trio (out of respect to Bill Berry), but McCaughey and Rieflin contribute to the full sound.  On stage, McCaughey adeptly navigates every instrument in the roadcase – electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, keys, backing vocals – ever the unsung utility player willing to fill any role the song requires while eschewing the spotlight.  Rieflin’s experience playing with the premiere names of 1990s industrial music (not a sentence most would imagine reading in a R.E.M. post, I realize) imbibes the Accelerate songs with the intensity that garnered all of the critical “comeback” buzz back in the spring.  In the live setting, Rieflin walks the fine line that all skilled drummers must navigate – he’s powerful without being overpowering, playing precise and defined enough for the large, open-air venues without sacrificing rhythmic nuance.  Similarly, while playing the old songs, Rieflin’s interpretation plays homage to Bill Berry’s often underrated drum parts; Rieflin clearly spent time with the R.E.M. back catalog and as a fan I appreciate that attention to detail.

Speaking of the new songs – the band leaned heavily on the strongest tracks on Accelerate.  “Living Well is the Best Revenge” came early in each show and set the tone, while the first single “Supernatural Superserious” opened the encore each night, serving as a “victory lap” of sorts by allowing the band’s finest single in years (along with “Imitation of Life” and “The Great Beyond,” perhaps even the best single since the Monster days) to set up the “home stretch.”  As expected, I found a new appreciation for a few of these songs by the end of the week – in particular, “Hollow Man” and “Man Sized Wreath” sound incredible live and received enthusiastic responses from the crowd.  Even “Houston,” a song that suffers from Accelerate’s highly compressed, in-your-face production aesthetic (seriously, who thought that awful siren-like organ was a good idea for such a fragile song) sounded better when the sound had space to expand.

The selection of material from Accelerate (everything but “Sing for the Submarine,” “Mr. Richards,” and “Until the Day is Done” (which would have been nice to hear) and the title track) mingled well with the selection of old songs.  I remember reading somewhere that Peter Buck wrote the setlists, so I will compliment his selection of pairing old and new songs together.  The best compliment I can pay to the sets is that nothing seemed out of place – rarities like Murmur’s “West of the Fields” and Green’s “Turn You Inside-Out” felt right with the usual suspects – “Losing My Religion,” “The One I Love,” “Man on the Moon,” etc.  Each show reached a sufficient balance between new songs, classics, and rarities.

Personally, I was floored by a couple “old” songs unearthed for this tour.  I’d seen youtube video of “Ignoreland” and “Let Me In,” but each night these songs became personal highlights.  “Ignoreland” meshes well with the tone (sonically and lyrically) of the new songs.  Even with a few weeks of watching one of my favorite songs played live for the first time fifteen years after its recording, it lived up to my expectations each night.  “Let Me In,” however, blew me away; I expected the band to trade instruments, huddle around the piano, and play the new quiet, acoustic arrangement.  I knew Stipe would turn his back to the audience and let his voice soar above the organ and guitar.  I did not predict my reaction of silent paralysis; it was like watching the train’s headlights swell as they moved closer yet unable to move off of the tracks.  While I spent a large amount of each night’s set singing, taking pictures, and giddily bouncing up and down on my toes, I stood jaw agape each night at Stipe’s vocal performance, wondering how he could intentionally put himself in the emotional place necessary to sing that song and still nail each and every moment.  The final night, I could see Stipe shiver a bit at the end of the song, breaking the trance he put himself into for the previous three minutes while also mimicking the spine-tingling response that many of us in the audience shared.

All week, I kept noticing how genuinely excited the band seemed to be to play these songs – whether it was Stipe’s repeated interactions with the crowd, the normally stoic Peter Buck cracking a smile every so often, or Mike Mills patrolling the outer reaches of the stage during times where he wasn’t providing harmonies – the band seemed far more excited to be together, playing music.  This might sound trivial or self-evident, but the audience knows when the band is simply going through the motions.  At this point in their careers, few would begrudge the band for being on auto-pilot and functioning as a touring museum piece (fill in your favorite aged classic rock band here).  However, for the first time in a long while, this seems like a band with more creative output left in the tank, a band willing to take chances without being afraid or ashamed of their back catalog.  I feel lucky to have seen this band at this point in time – it might not be the same as seeing them tear through the Reconstruction tour or the bombastic Monster tour, but R.E.M. in 2008 remains essential (even if they dwell outside the spotlight they once commanded) and inspirational.

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