R.E.M. @ Madison Square Garden 6/19/2008
Living Well Is The Best Revenge / These Days / What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? / Bad Day / Drive / Hollow Man / Ignoreland / Man-Sized Wreath / Leaving New York / Disturbance At The Heron House / Houston / Electrolite / (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville / Driver 8 / Harborcoat / The One I Love / Until The Day Is Done / Let Me In / Horse To Water / Pretty Persuasion / Orange Crush / I’m Gonna DJ // Supernatural Superserious / Losing My Religion / Begin The Begin / Fall On Me / Man On The Moon
* OMG “Disturbance At The Heron House” and “Harborcoat”! I actually don’t even have anything to add to that, it was just a really lovely fanboy experience to get those two songs in the set.
* I suppose the trade-off for that thrill was that, in relative terms, we got a pretty lackluster setlist. The relative terms: The majority of the oldies were played at their previous two MSG shows, but you know, fine, it’s not like I don’t love “Driver 8” or “Begin The Begin,” I’d just much rather see them do “Feeling Gravity’s Pull” or “I Believe.” The other thing is that on this tour, they have made a point of adding a song that had not yet been played on every night, and it’s usually something really cool and special. Recent additions have been “Turn You Inside-Out,” “Maps and Legends,” “7 Chinese Bros.,” “Pilgrimage,” “Shaking Through,” “Star 69,” “Auctioneer (Another Engine),” and “Circus Envy.” You know, totally awesome deep cuts and minor singles for the most part. At this show, we got….”Leaving New York,” a droopy ballad from Around The Sun, the lowest point of the group’s career. So, yeah.
* I am starting to think that I am never, ever going to see R.E.M. perform a single song from Murmur in my life.
* I must sound like a total bitch. This was a terrific show — maybe not quite as spirited as the abbreviated Jones Beach set from last weekend, but it was certainly keeping with the band’s very high standard as a live act.
* It’s pretty amazing to me that they put off playing “Ignoreland” live for all these years. As I would have guessed back when I was 14, it totally kills in concert.
R.E.M. “I’m Gonna DJ” – When the band perform “I’m Gonna DJ,” a key lyric appears on screen, but just as in the album packaging, it’s ever so slightly wrong: “Music will provide the light you cannot resist.” In the song, the lyric is vastly superior with only a minor change: “Music COULD provide the light you cannot resist.” It’s not a promise. It’s very important that it’s no guarantee. In the context of the album, especially as the final line on the record, it’s significant: After all the disappointment, angst, and defiance, the record ends on a line that may as well be “Hey, you guys — I found a way out! Let’s go!” It seems like a corny song at first — I admit, it took a couple years to get over the “kickin’ playlist” line — but it’s also one of the most euphoric tracks in the R.E.M. catalog, and I get totally thrown into it every time I hear it, especially in concert. Oh, and you know what I love? I love love love how on th
e final “hey steady steady,” Michael Stipe’s voice goes up a bit so that it’s more like “hey steady stead-AY!” That kills me.
(Click here to buy it from Amazon.)
Also: The National and Modest Mouse opened for the band at this show, and at Jones Beach. What a contrast — the former can’t help but be a little leaden and/or sedate, but they really go for it and try to make the most of playing in a big space. The latter band just seems bored, and refuse to play their biggest hits, or really, aside from “Paper Thin Walls” last night, any of their best material. Between these two shows and the headlining gig I saw them play a year or so ago, I can’t help but feel that Modest Mouse are one of the most joyless live acts in the world today. They have a rote professionalism, but that’s about it. It’s a shame, because Isaac Brock has written a lot of good songs in his day, and he should be doing better than this.
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