R.E.M. Greek Theatre Berkeley 5/31/08

Ok, let’s just get the unpleasant stuff out of the way right off. One of the big draws for me for last Saturday’s REM concert was the opening act, The National. Considering how perfectly great REM was that night, it is probably quite silly in retrospect, but I might have skipped this tour altogether if The National hadn’t been on the ticket. I was disappointed. Not that the guys from Ohio by way of New York didn’t play their hearts out. At least I THINK they did…

It was bound to be an uphill battle anyway. With two opening acts, their set had to start a little after six in the evening. At an outdoor venue, that has to be a little like playing at someone’s picnic – not exactly designed to induce excitement. In addition to the broad daylight, only about half the sold out show’s audience had showed up by then. Since the Greek only holds about 8000, it looked pretty sparse out there. At one point, Matt Berninger meekly thanked the crowd for “coming out early”.

But all of that could have been overcome. It could have been, if it wasn’t for the absolutely horrid sound, at least from where I was sitting. Who did their soundcheck? Whoever it was, they should be boxed soundly about the head and ears. Or maybe they already had been – repeatedly. That would go some way toward explaining why the sound was so awful. They started their set with Start a War, the first song I fell for on their excellent album, Boxer, and immediately went into my next favorite, Brainy. What you could hear of Matt Berninger’s slopey baritone was even better, more exciting, than the recorded versions. They ended with Mr. November from Alligator. Matt’s stage presence was barely discernable through the washed out sound. The vocals were way too low in the mix, the violin wasn’t mic’d properly, the overall quality was garbled. It broke my heart. They may not be to everyone’s taste, but I know at least half of the going-grey, Birkenstock-wearing, Berkeley-ites in the audience would have been sold, if only they could have actually heard the music.

Up next, Modest Mouse was achingly boring, if completely inoffensive. I was looking forward to getting a new take on a band that, so far, has not caught my imagination. Johnny Marr is touring with the band, which should have been a good sign. But the live set was strangely flat. The band made a big racket, with an impressive group of players, including two drummers with full traps. But there was a sameness to all the songs and no real audience engagement. I took the opportunity to wait in line for the toilets and check out the overpriced concert tees.

And then…

I used to love REM and then I didn’t. And then I wondered what the hell had gotten into them. When Accelerate came out, I was skeptical. I listened… I liked it… I liked it enough to fork over a hefty price and drive six hours to see them.

Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck, Bill Rieflin, and Scott MacCaughey put on a fantastic show. As soon as they appeared from the wings, I knew we were in for a fun night. Michael Stipe greeted the crowd, saying, “This night is for you, and we’re glad to be here to share it with you”. That summed up the night, really. An appreciative crowd was treated to almost all of Accelerate with the rest of the set weighted heavily with songs from Chronic Town to Monster.

Stipe is an exciting performer and a charmer from the stage, the band rocked, the songs were a good mix of college and Top 40 hits. Well, I could have done without Losing My Religion, but that’s just nitpicking. The entire performance was just great.

Highlights:
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth – The third song of the night got us all up and singing along. Michael sounded great, the band was tight and powerful.

Wolves, Lower – The opening riff clued me in that something special was happening. Somehow it was more muscular without losing its lo-fi mystery. Is that the key to the ‘new’ REM?

Electrolite – I never thought this was a top tier REM song, but its bouncy pop energy was tempered with the aggressive attack the band brought and it was perfectly placed in the set to vary the mood and sound. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Orange Crush – Holy Mother of God. Always a favorite of mine from Green, this rocked like I had never imagined it could. Michael with his bullhorn, the band raging, Mike and Peter’s backup vocals gliding over it all – the crowd was electrified.

Supernatural Superserious – By the time the encore rolled around, the crowd was more than willing. When Michael sang the first phrase, “Everybody here…” it seemed everyone there believed he meant us.

Driver 8 – One of my all-time REM favorites and it was lovely.

I think I love REM again.