I am having a hard tome believing that Michael Stipe, the lead singer of R.E.M. (my favorite band of.all.time.) turns 50 today.
5-0.
Fifty.
Fifty.
Funfzig.
I don't think that I can tell you just how much I loved R.E.M. They were my first concert and I have seen them 17 times since the Green tour in 1989. Mom allowed me to go with my brothers' friends. There were 5 of them and me. Somehow Mom had no trouble letting me go with all those boys (true, they *were* pretty geeky).
I remembering standing on the chair on the floor of Louisville Gardens on March 1, 1989. Robyn Hitchcock opened for them, but when Mike, Peter, Bill, and Michael took the stage and the first chords of "Pop Song 1989" sounded, I (and the rest of the crowd) jumped up on the seats, and stood there for the entire set and encore. I was exhilarated and hooked on live rock shows.
Happy Birthday, Michael. Wishing you many happy returns. Thank you for your music and for all the good times that you, the music, the band, have given me.
The set list from the Louisville show:
set: Pop Song 89 / Exhuming McCarthy / Welcome To The Occupation / Boy (Go) / Orange Crush / Shaking Through / Feeling Gravitys Pull / Perfect Circle / Cuyahoga / Begin The Begin / World Leader Pretend / I Believe / I Remember California / Pretty Persuasion / Get Up / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
encore 1: Finest Worksong / King Of Birds / Fall On Me / Crazy
encore 2: Harpers / Strange / So. Central Rain / Summertime-After Hours
notes: Michael reads the screen projections in the group participation moment. The rules are different from those later on in the tour. No. 1: Don't stand on your seat as you may fall. No. 2 Don't hurtle missiles or throw things. No 3. Don't rush the stage as Peter doesn't like that.
I remembering standing on the chair on the floor of Louisville Gardens on March 1, 1989. Robyn Hitchcock opened for them, but when Mike, Peter, Bill, and Michael took the stage and the first chords of "Pop Song 1989" sounded, I (and the rest of the crowd) jumped up on the seats, and stood there for the entire set and encore. I was exhilarated and hooked on live rock shows.
Happy Birthday, Michael. Wishing you many happy returns. Thank you for your music and for all the good times that you, the music, the band, have given me.
The set list from the Louisville show:
set: Pop Song 89 / Exhuming McCarthy / Welcome To The Occupation / Boy (Go) / Orange Crush / Shaking Through / Feeling Gravitys Pull / Perfect Circle / Cuyahoga / Begin The Begin / World Leader Pretend / I Believe / I Remember California / Pretty Persuasion / Get Up / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
encore 1: Finest Worksong / King Of Birds / Fall On Me / Crazy
encore 2: Harpers / Strange / So. Central Rain / Summertime-After Hours
notes: Michael reads the screen projections in the group participation moment. The rules are different from those later on in the tour. No. 1: Don't stand on your seat as you may fall. No. 2 Don't hurtle missiles or throw things. No 3. Don't rush the stage as Peter doesn't like that.
2 comments:
Yes - I trusted Dave and the others - well, at least Dave. You were Jeremy's little sister and so off limits to everyone, except for Shishar. Was he in the group?
And no way is that a recent photo of Michael. He's actually closer to my age than yours. What do you think about that?
I still remember going to the Patriot Center with you a few years ago, and watching your face as all of the songs you kept saying R.E.M. no longer did in concert blared out of the sound system. That was plain old good time fun. And I still smile when I think of the opening chords of "World Leader Pretend."
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