MOG

Madison Square Garden

R.E.M. is "pretty much a great live band," Michael Stipe once said (i.e. in our SXSW interview earlier this year). Said words echoed in my head, high expectations pulsed in my veins, as I traipsed in to Madison Square Garden this Thursday.

To be concise and admitedly redundant, I'd agree the show was indeed 'great.' But since I'm not one to be a) redundant b) concise and you Moggers deserve much more- below is a full photographic diary of that night- with side-notes, commentary and a fuckload of adjectives. NOTE: If this review doesn't meet your needs, post a comment below and I'll banter back. The spicy enchilada of sound that is The National, Modest Mouse & R.E.M. rolled into one- deserves at least that.

::The National::

To start, The National came on at 7pm sharp- to a barely-lit stadium and about 7 spectators (and 3 photographers counting myselft)(so relish these shots folks). In my mind, rushing out of work in time to catch The National perform is well-worth getting a pink slip. But evidently the faulty economy and New Yorkers' unparrelled sedulousness won out and I was one of 10 to have the privilege of seeing The National perform in an echoing arena.

Matt Berninger, lead singer, is quite iconic onstage- tall, gaunt, and incredibly focused- (if staid at times).

The band has brought an impressive array of intruments with them for this tour- including violin and two trumpeteers/horns who helped create some fericious climaxes in their songs. While this can prove off-putting for most bands, The National showed grace and professionalism onstage.

While they were generally hospitable to the difficult time slot and lack of audience, The National played the show like lumberman cut trees- methodically with minimal theatrics and dare-devil. I wish they had gone a bit more wild and experimented off-the-cuff a bit more....

Most memorable highlight? When they played "Fake Empire," the audience in the dim-lit arena began to sing along with the band- which caused shivers to rise on my skin.

::Modest Mouse::

Meanwhile, Modest Mouse was furious with energy by the time they entered stage- and the audience had also grown exponentially. Mad-man Issac Brock stole the show with his go-to stage persona- something along the lines of looking like a demon had possessed him- eyes rolling back to head- while familiarly spit-slurring, sweating and lyric-balling.

Another highlight was seeing the ex-The Smith's Johnny Marr add his distinctive distortion to the mix. He held it like he was a one man show. To boot, later he went back on stage to play alongside R.E.M. for last three songs of set.

Issac Brock oh so possessed.

*Yo- if any of you saw them perform around 3 am in Brooklyn later than night, chime in below.

::R.E.M.:

Meanwhile, like an experienced mid-wife nursing a wee-thing, R.E.M. nursed their set with the professionalism and pride. (apologies- my analogies today are, quite, um, ecclectic today). It was clear their modus opperandi was to promote their new album - as they played what seemed like the whole thing- only peppering their show with a few of their older hits.

Perhaps because Stipe had mentioned to me that the band talked more for the album Accelerate than ever before but I noticed there still was a bit of distance between each member. For the most part, Mills, Buck, and Stipe all stayed on their sides of the stage- but when they did interact (see pict below), it was with respect and a bit of joviality (like old college buds should I suppose).

R.E.M. showing new found focus. (above)

Mike Mills put on a cowboy hat later in the night and did a rendition of "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville," to which he wrote the lyrics.

Looks like he was wearing his standard Nudie suit huh?

While some of the performance felt a bit too rote and mechanical for comfort (i.e. at times, it looked like 4 one-man bands on one stage), there were times where humanism and personality broke through. This was in big part to Stipe - who has quite a mystical quality however of interacting with a stadium full of people so that everyone feels like he's talking just to them. He was playful on Thursday, bantering a bit with the audience and joking with an uncomfortable-looking spectator in the front row if they wanted earplugs. Stipe is a born performer- charismatic and vibrant on stage. While the other members looked decidedly antiquated - (in costume, in weight, in cadence), Stipe was ageless in a starched suit and with seering eyes. Simply grand.

Stipe casting spells.

Peter Buck. no actus reus in sight.

Breathless.

Very Justin Timberlake.

Rodeo.

Doesn't it like Ms. Stipe has just stepped out of the river and been rebirthed in this shot?

My favorite shot of the night.

R.E.M. tried out this new back-screen where the band members are reflected and refracted based on shots from a video camera by the stage. The result was a tantalizing visual presentation- an artistic way of integrating the audience from a distance.

The audience - all ages- all colors- going wild.

Humorous distraction? I managed to sit in front of the one and only guy who managed to konk out through the show. While even those in the nose-bleeds (see above) are standing and dancing. Poor guy. Hope he reads the reviews to hear how it went :)

R.E.M. Set List

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
One I Love
Until The Day is Done
Let Me In
Horse To Water
Pretty Persuasion
Orange Crush
I'm Gonna DJ
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Supernatural Superserious
Losing My Religion
Begin The Begin
Fall On Me
Man on the Moon

(set-list courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan)

More picts here: www.flickr.com/faithannyoung