R.E.M. 1980-2011??

[u2roolz]

Today is R.E,M,’s 40th anniversary!

Excellent! Did you see the email from R.E.M. HQ with the pics from their first show? I think it was sent on Friday. Loving the Stipe impressions from Jeff. Would love to hear him do a cover of something.

[remphish1]

Yep. Forty years ago they played their first show at the old St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Athens. For a friend's birthday party. What I'd give to have been to some of those early shows.

Me too but thank goodness for YouTube! Some great bootlegs on there this one is so good!

 

https://youtu.be/kRTH8eqZbPM

[chuckrh]

Yep. Forty years ago they played their first show at the old St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Athens. For a friend's birthday party. What I'd give to have been to some of those early shows.

I saw them on the Reckoning tour. First visit to Seattle. There's a pretty famous (&awesome) boot of that show around.

[Boss_Tweedy]

I saw them on the Reckoning tour. First visit to Seattle. There's a pretty famous (&awesome) boot of that show around.

 

That's early enough to me! I was about 10 or 11 when I first discovered them via MTV and Night Tracks. I don't think they were really on my radar till Out of Time, and I didn't become a fan till Automatic. Of course they weren't touring during those albums, so I didn't seem them live until the Monster tour. 

[remphish1]

That's early enough to me! I was about 10 or 11 when I first discovered them via MTV and Night Tracks. I don't think they were really on my radar till Out of Time, and I didn't become a fan till Automatic. Of course they weren't touring during those albums, so I didn't seem them live until the Monster tour.

Same for me was 9 when I found out about them and 14 when I saw them the first time on the Monster tour

[tinnitus photography]

let's hear the first time ye saw REM...

for me it was on the Pre-construction tour, Spring weekend at Brown in '85. it was an outdoor show and some enterprising soul went out the night before, dug a giant hole in the ground and planted a keg in it. needless to say, it was the last outdoor spring concert weekend at Brown until my senior year, and that was held in a more regulated courtyard space (and not nearly as good... Little Feat and Tom Tom Club). 


this set list is amazing but i really only remember the Paint it Black cover.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rem/1985/pembroke-field-brown-university-providence-ri-63d6fafb.html

[Chez]

I first saw R.E.M. on September 24, 1982 at Huff Gym in Champaign, IL.  Five bucks to get in!  A sweaty, pogo-ing, delirious experience.  

 

I saw them twice after that -- 1986 at the UIC Pavilion (Camper Van Beethoven opened) and in 1995 at the Rosemont Horizon with Luscious Jackson as the opener.

[Oil Can Boyd]

Mine was a few months after that one.  Boston University in August of '85.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rem/1985/walter-brown-arena-boston-ma-73d6facd.html

 

Next time was November of '86.  The Feelies opened and it was my first time seeing them.  

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rem/1986/felt-forum-new-york-ny-1bd6f954.html

[u2roolz]

My first R.E.M. show was on the fall leg of the Monster tour. It was the first ever concert at the new Boston Garden which was called the Fleet Center when it opened. I’m sure the people from the Boston area know that. I was upset that my mother wanted nothing to do with Great Woods when they played there 3 nights that summer of ‘95. I was 16 & had no license. I can’t remember when they announced the fall tour, but I remember being super excited that they played a new song on the MTV Music Awards.

 

Unfortunately, I only ever saw R.E.M. 6 times. 1995, 1999, 2003, 2004 (x2) and 2008 where I missed opener The National by being stuck in traffic on 495 headed to Great Woods. I actually saw Michael Stipe in 1999 at Giants Stadium as part of the NetAid concert that everyone seems to forget ever happened. He was singing next to Bono. I think it was that equally forgettable collaboration between Bono & Wyclef Jean: New Day. Best part of that night was the 1st ever performance of The Black Crowes w Jimmy Page.

[tinnitus photography]

I think I saw REM four times in total... one time was on Black Monday. that was kinda surreal. 

[Oil Can Boyd]

I was upset that my mother wanted nothing to do with Great Woods when they played there 3 nights that summer of ‘95. 

 

 

 

Can't say that I blame your mother.  I saw some good shows there (REM in '90, Dylan/Petty, Lou Reed, Radiohead) but getting in and out of there was a pain.  

[u2roolz]

Can't say that I blame your mother. I saw some good shows there (REM in '90, Dylan/Petty, Lou Reed, Radiohead) but getting in and out of there was a pain.

Oh, I agree. That’s why I mentioned being upset that the traffic made me miss The National. I guess you could blame R.E.M. too. I got there in time for their other opener Modest Mouse. Maybe they should have had just one opener. The fact that it was a weekday show made it even more frustrating to get there for all 3 bands.

 

I remember angrily listening to the 1st 4 songs of the Radiohead show in 2003 on BCN, while I was stuck in traffic at the exit. I also was stuck in the parking lot until 3am when I saw Pearl Jam in 2008. This was around the time that they expanded the parking lot. We were parked way, way, way, back to the right side. At least when I saw Wilco there with Dylan in 2013, I had the option of leaving after Wilco played or catching most of Bob. Last show I saw there was Arcade Fire in 2013. I ran out during their encore and made good time. Not the best way to enjoy a concert, but I did breathe a sigh of relief when I saw that Wilco would be coming to the venue in the Boston harbor this summer and not Great Woods.

[tinnitus photography]

Great Woods is a dump now, and putting in seats on the formerly GA grass space was stupid. 

[remphish1]

Saw R.E.M. 9 times between 1995-2009 and once perform on the daily show. Wish it was more but pretty good all things considered by how infrequently they seemed to tour

[chuckrh]

Saw R.E.M. 9 times between 1995-2009 and once perform on the daily show. Wish it was more but pretty good all things considered by how infrequently they seemed to tour

they toured a bunch in the early days. that changed with Out of Time when they decided to take a break from the road. i was lucky to see them in smaller places. Document was the first time in an arena with NRBQ opening. that was a great show. best was @ the paramount in seattle for Life's Rich Pageant with Guadalcanal Diary opening. i just got a boot of that show that's pretty mighty. 1 of the encores Stipe came out with a ghetto blaster & performed We Don't Need Another Hero by himself. pretty wild. 

[calvino]

Just saw them twice - both shows were after Berry left. 1999 in St. Louis and  2003 at Red Rocks. Wilco was the opener for both shows.

 

Had a chance to see them on the Green tour - bunch of my friends went, but I skipped it - wish I would have went. 

[remphish1]

they toured a bunch in the early days. that changed with Out of Time when they decided to take a break from the road. i was lucky to see them in smaller places. Document was the first time in an arena with NRBQ opening. that was a great show. best was @ the paramount in seattle for Life's Rich Pageant with Guadalcanal Diary opening. i just got a boot of that show that's pretty mighty. 1 of the encores Stipe came out with a ghetto blaster & performed We Don't Need Another Hero by himself. pretty wild.

All a matter of perspective unfortunately I was 14 when monster came out so I missed most of their high touring density days. Saw them in 95,98,99,03,08 I believe??

[chuckrh]

All a matter of perspective unfortunately I was 14 when monster came out so I missed most of their high touring density days. Saw them in 95,98,99,03,08 I believe??

Ya. I'm older than dirt. I have a friend who used to produce Sessions at AOL back in the day. She lives in NYC but when they did 1 for REM they did it in a studio in Vancouver. I got to go & hang all day with them. This was about circa Reveal. I found a clip of Nightswimming from that show on youtube. I was sitting about 3 feet from Michael Stipe for the whole show. In that video, you can see my feet sticking out, haha.

[brownie]

I saw them a few times early on in pretty rapid succession: Beacon Theater in NY, Capital Theater in Passaic NJ (filmed for something I can’t remember now), a gym at Drew University in Madison NJ, a field at Rutgers University in New Brunswick NJ.  

 

I think the Beacon Theater was the first time, but I honestly can’t remember now. 

 

I think Rutgers was later than the other shows - I remember them doing Feeling Gravity’s Pull at that show, which was a new song at the time.  (Wow, I am really stretching the powers of my memory here.)

 

Saw them a few times later on - New Haven CT (can’t recall the venue) - Feelies were the openers, PNC Arts Center much later on.  Radio City Music Hall at some point fairly early.  Probably a few more times but I just can’t recall.

[u2roolz]

Michael Stipe is going to be on this Tuesday’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

[chuckrh]

I saw them a few times early on in pretty rapid succession: Beacon Theater in NY, Capital Theater in Passaic NJ (filmed for something I can’t remember now), a gym at Drew University in Madison NJ, a field at Rutgers University in New Brunswick NJ.  

 

I think the Beacon Theater was the first time, but I honestly can’t remember now. 

 

I think Rutgers was later than the other shows - I remember them doing Feeling Gravity’s Pull at that show, which was a new song at the time.  (Wow, I am really stretching the powers of my memory here.)

 

Saw them a few times later on - New Haven CT (can’t recall the venue) - Feelies were the openers, PNC Arts Center much later on.  Radio City Music Hall at some point fairly early.  Probably a few more times but I just can’t recall.

The whole Capital Theater show is up on youtube.

[uncool2pillow]

they toured a bunch in the early days. that changed with Out of Time when they decided to take a break from the road. i was lucky to see them in smaller places. Document was the first time in an arena with NRBQ opening. that was a great show. best was @ the paramount in seattle for Life's Rich Pageant with Guadalcanal Diary opening. i just got a boot of that show that's pretty mighty. 1 of the encores Stipe came out with a ghetto blaster & performed We Don't Need Another Hero by himself. pretty wild. 

I saw them with NRBQ in 1989 on the Green tour in Ames, IA. We were not impressed with NRBQ, I think they put on a pretty drunken show. Doing some research about this show I see that they closed with a cover of VU's After Hours. I have absolutenly no recollection of that.

[remphish1]

Ya. I'm older than dirt. I have a friend who used to produce Sessions at AOL back in the day. She lives in NYC but when they did 1 for REM they did it in a studio in Vancouver. I got to go & hang all day with them. This was about circa Reveal. I found a clip of Nightswimming from that show on youtube. I was sitting about 3 feet from Michael Stipe for the whole show. In that video, you can see my feet sticking out, haha.

wow that’s great! I got to finally hang out with Stipe 2 years ago at his art gallery opening it was a surreal experience to say the least. Met Mills and Buck many times and they were always nice to me.

[nalafej]

Ok. I'll play. I was late to the REM arriving for Monster tour in Ann Arbor which was fantastic.

 

Went to Blossom in OH to see them & Wilco Summerteeth era and we were on the lawn. The sky opened up raining cats and dogs for the It's the End of the World encore which I still vividly remember 22 years later.

 

Made a Wilcation out of the 2003 shows where Wilco opened for REM in Vancouver and Seattle and wow were those great shows for both bands.

 

Subpar United Center show in '08 with National & Modest Mouse

[Boss_Tweedy]

Ok. I'll play. I was late to the REM arriving for Monster tour in Ann Arbor which was fantastic.

 

Went to Blossom in OH to see them & Wilco Summerteeth era and we were on the lawn. The sky opened up raining cats and dogs for the It's the End of the World encore which I still vividly remember 22 years later.

 

Made a Wilcation out of the 2003 shows where Wilco opened for REM in Vancouver and Seattle and wow were those great shows for both bands.

 

Subpar United Center show in '08 with National & Modest Mouse

 

I am fortunate to count myself among the crowd for their last show in the U.S. at Voodoo Fest in NOLA in '08. It was just before Obama was elected, so they were very high-energy. I stood on the rail for what seemed like an eternity for that set, realizing that at age 33 it might be the last time I'd be willing to do that.