137 replies to this topic

[su27]

Oh now you were the guy who said Stipey wasn’t dancing enough but now apparently he is – right and now they are not selling out fast enough. Right

Here’s a wee idea – why don’t you just take your eBay tickets (and I can’t fathom for a sec how the fan club is not value for money – its only £12 – to me here in Scotland it costs them a tenner a year on postage alone so they will be making no money out of this at all – in fact I would suggest its subsidized but someone has made this point) and just enjoy the concerts.   Let them worry about the numbers – that’s what they got the 80 million for (allegedly)

REM will never ever sell out concerts bassed on a hit single - they are not that kin dof band - you know them and you like it or you dont

BTW - Radiohead play Glasgow Green in a week - guess what - yup your way ahead of me

[helenw]

Out of interest, who is selling these 'gold circle' tickets and how much are they?

[eiluvrem]

I don't think REM has gold circle at Twickenham, but Bon Jovi do. There are different layouts on ticketmaster for each concert.

[DarrenLevesley]

Bon jovi have gold circle tickets at all of their gigs. - Im not sure but I dont think REM have a gold circle for twickers

[helenw]

DarrenLevesley said:

Bon jovi have gold circle tickets at all of their gigs. - Im not sure but I dont think REM have a gold circle for twickers

Well I can't find any either so I was hoping 25yearsmanandboy could enlighten us where he has seen them for sale

[Lois]

25yearsmanandboy said:

And your not being negative ??

I bought the tickets on Ebay because they were fan club early entry tickets.

After going to the RAH debacle Ive got a right to feel a little negative, did you go ?? Did you go to all the Dublin concerts ?? Are you going to T in the park, Oxygene Dublin, Southampton,Manchester and Twickenham ??

I am


Ive got a right to my point of view my friend and just because it may not be 100 % rah rah for REM whatever they do, doesn't deserve someone like you making stupid comments.

If I feel after Twickers that they're just going through the motions as they certainly did at RAH I will call it a day. That doesnt make me sad or negative.

But makes you a tad presumptious and judgemental without much to back it up.

I agree with you, with regards to following the band (as you have for a long long time), buying tickets to gigs and being disappointed with what you see and hear (just about every time I see them in Birmingham, I get the impression they do not put their backs into it as much as they do in other places, and I've been all over) The only time I've seen them being as flat as they usually are at the Birmingham NEC was in Atlanta in 2004.) You have a perfect right to post your views - just because people may not want to agree with you, it's healthy that you don't back off. It's naive of people to believe that fans of r.e.m. should exude gratuitous praise for R.e.m. and plain bandwagonesque to imply/suggest you are not a 'worthy' fan and'or shouldn't bother posting on r.e.m. forums because your opinions differ from the majority. Discerning appreciation and comment leads to [or at least the possiblity of] progression.

As for selling out at twickers and/or cardiff - it's unlikely, highly unlikely, as disappointing as it is to look around and see large gaps in the crowd.

[goldberry]

That's not what I've observed on here, by and large, mate.  There is usually a free and frank exchange about what people think the band can do better.  I've made criticisms about releasing "Hollow Man" as the second single, for example.

The only thing though, is if you make a criticism, which is your right to free speech (the whole point here), you also have to respect the right of others to disagree with your original view.  The fans are not all going to be of one mind, we see that all the time here.  :)

[goldberry]

Lois said:

As for selling out at twickers and/or cardiff - it's unlikely, highly unlikely, as disappointing as it is to look around and see large gaps in the crowd.

Sure it may be disappointing, but that needn't affect your enjoyment of the gig. I'd love to go. At least you guys are getting shows.

I'd also like to add that last time I checked those are large venues. Pretty hard to sell out. There must be some reason they are not opting for smaller venues. I'm not in the record promotions industry so I don't presume to speculate about such matters.

[RamblingRob]

25yearsmanandboy said:

The clips from the first American concerts were the same prompting my post. if they continue like that through Twickenham I will call it a day.

Since then MS has picked up the performance,which Ive already said.  

I still dont see how you can equate JMS' performance by looking at a few You Tube videos.  I was at both Vancouver and Sasquatch, and he put on a great show, as usual.  Now, I wanst at RAH, so I cannot comment, but he was his usual self in Vancouver and Sasquatch.  I'm really not sure where you are getting your information regarding the supposed statuesque performance of one JMS.

[goldberry]

25yearsmanandboy said:

Oh come on,they played it here a lot when it first came out but it did nothing.Anything REM do will get a good amount of plays on Virgin, XFM and radio 2.The same stations that took Leaving New York to no5.

I just dont think it was lead single material.

Well this is where fans can differ.  I love Supernatural Superserious.  On the other hand, "Leaving New York" sounds like a dirge to me.  If the latter can be a no. 5 single and the former just disappears off the charts, there must be something seriously wrong in the land of Poms (England).

There you go, that proves that I can make criticisms as well.

As for playing to 80,000 in Hyde Park, wasn't that for an environmental festival where there were heaps of other acts playing too?  They weren't all there for REM.

Face it, the UK doesn't get "Accelerate", however the US, Germany and Italy clearly do.  But if REM have become "alternative" again, that's not really the band's fault or frankly their concern.  I liked them best when I heard them in a 3,000 crowd in 1989 anyway.

Warners are not promoting them well in some countries, they'd rather promote Avril fucking Lavigne or somebody.  :p

[goldberry]

I'd know who I'd rather believe, ie the positive reviews of the US/Canada gigs that I'm hearing from people/reviewers who were actually there.  Also the positive reviews of "Accelerate" by the vast majority of critics who see it as a return to form after 2004's effort.

You need to look at this as a glass half full, man.  What are you saying, they should have chucked in the towell by now?

[patternshirt170]

Perhaps if the sale are bad they will move the show(s), I've witnessed that done on a few tours this year and also straight (and not so straight) cancellations, for instance Sheryl Crow moved a gig from the Mansfield Comcast Centre to the Boston Harbour Pavilion and the same out west near Seattle; big venue to smaller, why else? poor sales...

MSG was indeed 90% sold out the seats were very popular so much so a fair swathe of the crowd seemsed to enjoy sitting in them during the set and JMS was up and grooving...  they were vocal just not up on their feet....

I don't think they should have done these UK stadia or the festivals, fans who don't like festivals have to pay ALOT more than those nearer stand alone gigs, not fair really... granted they are doing way more dates than most bands do in Europe, but it seems like a 'cram em in' type UK/Eire tour, rather than a longer series of dates or say, a 2 parter like ATS was (winter indoor then summer open air) London has a fair amount of options (Earls Court, Somerset House?) and so does Manchester (EN Arena) and Scotland (so you do Stirling, so why not Edinbugh Castle? 10k) without having to do festivals where you play to a casual crowd and a smaller number of your faithful and that "hardcore" , as I said, has to pay more than other fans to see you due to the festival setting....

I think even despite their 3trillion sales, curing all disease and aligning mere planets, Coldplay can't sellout 1 night in Boston (maybe down to tix at $97 before TM fees), so R.E.M are not alone...

[goldberry]

25yearsmanandboy said:

Oh for fuck sake man read my previous posts.

In truth the whole return to form thing is a cliche'. When was the form ? Up ,New Adventures, Reveal when ?

I liked Around the sun,admitadly it doesnt get a lot of plays, I liked Reveal ,I loved Up and New Adventures so I dont get the return to form thing.

So what do you think of "Accelerate"?

Though I think your objection is not so much to the latest album, as to the energy put into the UK by REM this year, the choice of venues, and their recent live gigs there.  Here's a proposition, just go along (I take it you're going to at least one show) and tell us what you think after that.