"Let's put our heads together, and start a new country up."

Last night saw Chris and Dale, one of his beer geek friends, drive over to Raleigh to see R.E.M. in concert. Sadly, Kimberly couldn't go as planned as her work schedule shifted. This made her sad as the last time we saw R.E.M. (13 years ago today on June 11, 1995 in Cleveland, OH) was one of the best concerts she ever saw.

After work, Dale and Chris drove over to Pittsboro and Carolina Brewery for dinner and some delicious Flagship IPA. It's conveniently about halfway to Raleigh on US-64. Bellies full, it was off to Raleigh and the outdoor amphiteater there. Hot, sweaty, and close to 100 degrees before the sun went down. Ugh.

At 6:30pm, the band The National hit the stage for a half-hour set in the oppressive heat. Then, at 7:30pm, Modest Mouse went onstage to play for 45 minutes. Finally, at 9:00pm, the main event: R.E.M. for close to 2 hours. Fantastic. After the proverbial sit in traffic in the parking lot plus the ride home, it was 1:00am when Chris finally got home. On a Tuesday night even.

Michael Stipe wore a suit for the entire show. A suit! In this heat! Mike Mills's harmony was angelic and beautiful as ever. And Peter Buck frankly looked old on the guitar. He played well. He just....looked...."old".

A great mix of old (and I mean OLD) songs with new. As opposed to our 1995 concert where a majority of the songs were off of their heavy 1994 Monster album (do kids still call them albums nowadays?), last night's was a mix of wonders from all throughout their catalogue, spanning 1982 to today. 1982! Compare the setlists:

June 11, 1995 - Cleveland, OH
I Took Your Name - 1994
What's the Frequency, Kenneth? - 1994
Circus Envy - 1994
Turn You Inside Out - 1988
Near Wild Heaven - 1991
Crush with Eyeliner - 1994
Drive - 1992
Country Feedback - 1991
Half a World Away - 1991
Losing My Religion - 1991
Tongue - 1994
I Don't Sleep, I Dream - 1994
Man on the Moon - 1992
Strange Currencies - 1994
Pop Song '89 - 1988
Get Up - 1988
Bang and Blame - 1994
Star 69 - 1994
encore: Let Me In - 1994
encore: Everybody Hurts - 1992
encore: Finest Worksong - 1987
encore: It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) - 1987

June 10, 2008 - Raleigh, NC
Harborcoat - 1984
Living Well is the Best Revenge - 2008
Bad Day - 2003
What's the Frequency, Kenneth? -1994
1,000,000 - 1982
Man-Sized Wreath - 2008
Welcome to the Occupation - 1987
Accelerate - 2008
7 Chinese Bros. - 1984
Hollow Man - 2008
Imitation of Life - 2001
Houston - 2008
Electrolite - 1996
Walk Unafraid - 1998
The One I Love - 1987
Final Straw - 2004
Find the River - 1992
Let Me In - 1994
Horse to Water - 2008
Auctioneer (Another Engine) - 1985
Orange Crush -1988
I'm Gonna DJ -2008
encore: Supernatural Superserious -2008
encore: Losing My Religion - 1991
encore: Pretty Persuasion - 1984
encore: Fall On Me - 1986
encore: Sitting Still - 1983
encore: Man on the Moon - 1992

A great concert, with plenty of Michael Stipe diatribe:
"Hey you on the lawn, check this shit out!" before 1,000,000
"For our awful president, George W. Bush." before Welcome to the Occupation
"Here's our first #1 single. In Japan." before Imitation of Life
"We wrote this in response to our government's terrible response to Hurricane Katrina." before Houston
"We wrote this the week our awful president invaded Iraq." before Final Straw
"This about growing up queer in the south." before Pretty Persuasion
"Today is my sister's birthday. And this was the first song I wrote that I felt gave something to society in a positive way, and it's about her." before Sitting Still

and the best one:

"I have felt proud for just the first time in the past few months to be from the south because North Carolina went for Barack Obama. [quoting lyrics to Cuyahoga] Let's put our heads together and start a new country up."

Awesome.

Special guests included The Smiths Johnny Marr on guitar for Fall on Me, and early R.E.M. producers Mitch Easter & Don Dixon on guitar on Sitting Still.

The Raleigh News & Observer review can be found here.

In closing, a video and lyrics for Final Straw for our "awful president".

As I raise my head to broadcast my objection
As your latest triumph draws the final straw
Who died and lifted you up to perfection?
And what silenced me is written into law.

I can't believe where circumstance has thrown me
And I turn my head away
If I look I'm not sure that I could face you.
Not again.
not today.
not today.

If hatred makes a play on me tomorrow
And forgiveness takes a back seat to revenge
There's a hurt down deep that has not been corrected.
There's a voice in me that says you will not win.

And if I ignore the voice inside,
Raise a half glass to my home.
But it's there that I am most afraid,
And forgetting doesn't hold.
it doesn't hold.

Now I don't believe and I never did
That two wrongs make a right.
If the world were filled with the likes of you
Then I'm putting up a fight.
I'm putting up a fight.
Putting up a fight.
make it right.
make it right.

Now love cannot be called into question.
Forgiveness is the only hope I hold.
And love - love will be my strongest weapon.
I do believe that I am not alone.

For this fear will not destroy me.
And the tears that have been shed
It's knowing now where I am weakest
And the voice in my head.
in my head.

Then I raise my voice up higher
And I look you in the eye
And I offer love with one condition.
With conviction, tell me why.
Tell me why.
Tell me why.
Look me in the eye.
Tell me why.