Concert Review
R.E.M. gives sold-out crowd intimacy, mediocrity

By Patrick MacDonald
Seattle Times music critic

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

Postelection letdown? Midlife crisis? Jet lag?

Whatever the reason, R.E.M. never seemed to hit its stride last night at a sold-out McCaw Hall. While it was great to see the band close-up in the intimate venue, there were only a few moments in the two-hour, 24-song set where the concert caught fire.

Although the show kicked off promisingly with "Finest Worksong" and "Begin the Begin," it soon settled into a pattern of mediocre, mostly slow songs, including seven from the new "Around the Sun" album, most them just as middling and unfocused as they are on the disc.

The one song from it that was well put together and worked live was "Leaving New York," with its undercurrent of post-9/11 sorrow.

Michael Stipe and the band played several anti-Bush/pro-Kerry concerts during the election, but the only reference last night came during "Drive," with its reference to being "bushwacked." The word elicited a cheer.

The eighth song in the set was the first one that the audience really got into, with fans crowding the front of the stage, dancing wildly — some imitating Stipe's quirky, elongated moves.

Review Friday night, McCaw Hall, Seattle Center, concert repeats tonight

But by the next song, "The Outsiders," from the new album, the excitement level dipped again.

"The One I Love," the sweet ballad a dozen songs in, was pleasant, with couples cuddling closer as they swayed to the beat.

Then more so-so songs until the sure bet "Losing My Religion," which had the whole place moving.

But Stipe seemed to put it down when he introduced it, saying, "You indulged us, now we'll indulge you" — as if it were a sop to the crowd who didn't appreciate the new songs.

The show finally got down to business in the six-song encore, starting with "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" and also including the rocking "Permanent Vacation," the oldest song in the show, going back to 1980, "I Wanna Be a DJ (At the End of the World)," an obscure song, added to the set probably because it rhymes "battle" with "Seattle," a reference to the WTO riots.

The final song had the kind of uplifting energy that the set could have used all night — "Man On the Moon," the tribute to Andy Kaufman.

The show opened with Five-Eight, a band from R.E.M.'s hometown of Athens, Ga., made up of good musicians and lousy songwriters.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312, pmacdonald@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More Entertainment & the Arts headlines...