11 February 2005 - Weiner Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria support: The Thrills soundcheck included: Make It All Okay / How The West Was Won And Where It Got Us The Thrills set included: The Curse Of Comfort R.E.M.: Finest Worksong / Departure / Undertow / Animal / Boy In The Well / Electrolite / High Speed Train / Everybody Hurts / Electron Blue / 7 Chinese Bros. / Leaving New York / Orange Crush / I Wanted To Be Wrong / Final Straw / Imitation Of Life / The One I Love / Walk Unafraid / Losing My Religion encore: What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? / Drive / The Ascent Of Man / The Great Beyond / I’m Gonna DJ / Man On The Moon notes: Peter played mandolin on ‘The Curse Of Comfort’ during The Thrill’s opening set
Love this. The live discs (I just call it the red one) from Dublin, my favorite concert, Daniel Ryan on that song (the thrills, but with my memory issues even tho it’s my fave concert, the song escapes me…
12 February 1985 - Uptown Lounge, Athens, GA support: Dark Harvest set included: Feeling Gravitys Pull / Hyena / Maps And Legends / Good Advices / Driver 8 / Can’t Get There From Here / Kohoutek / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / Little America encore included: Life And How To Live It / Under My Thumb notes: Playing under the pseudonym ‘Hornets Attack Victor Mature’, the band performed mainly new songs that were eventually recorded for the upcoming ‘Fables Of The Reconstruction’ album, along with The Rolling Stones song ‘Under My Thumb’. First performances of ‘Feeling Gravitys Pull’, ‘Maps and Legends’, Can’t Get There From Here’ and ‘Life And How To Live It’.
15 February 1995 - Velödromo De Anoeta, San Sebastian, Spain support: Grant Lee Buffalo set: What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? / Circus Envy / Try Not To Breathe / Drive / Crush With Eyeliner / You / I Don’t Sleep, I Dream / Monty Got A Raw Deal / Revolution / Tongue / Man On The Moon / I Took Your Name / Country Feedback / Losing My Religion / Departure / Star Me Kitten / Me In Honey / Finest Worksong / Get Up / Star 69 encore: Let Me In / Everybody Hurts / Pop Song 89 / Bang And Blame / It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) notes: 'Departure’ is played live for the first time. This show can be found on the double CD "Espana '95"
16 February 2005 - Forum Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark support: The Thrills set: I Took Your Name / The Wake-Up Bomb / Animal / The Outsiders / Drive / High Speed Train / Everybody Hurts / Aftermath / Electrolite / Leaving New York / I’ve Been High / Orange Crush / I Wanted To Be Wrong / Final Straw / Imitation Of Life / The One I Love / Walk Unafraid / Losing My Religion encore: What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? / Disturbance At The Heron House / Country Feedback / The Great Beyond / I’m Gonna DJ / Man On The Moon
On this day in 2011 Collapse into Now was released in North America, It had been released outside of North America the previous day. At the time, there much speculation here that it was their last. I took it with a grain of salt because I’d heard the same thing before regarding some of their previous latter day albums. Then, in late September it was confirmed when R.E.M. announced they were disbanding. Mills and Stipe both said the album was rife with clues that it was their last album, including Stipe waving goodbye on the cover. Some took the similarity to previous songs to be a sign of laziness and/or that their creative well had run dry. I was of the opposite mind, I felt they were conscious nods to previous works which made complete sense to me given it was their last album. Some of the strongest of those accusations were aimed at “Blue,” which many felt was nothing more than a mashup of “Country Feedback” and “E-Bow the Letter,” complete with backing vocals from Patti Smith. I listened to it just now for the first time in I don’t remember how long and it still carries as much emotional weight as it did when I heard it for the first time 11 years ago. That said, I don’t often revisit anything outside of their I.R.S. era works with the notable exceptions of New Adventures in Hi Fi and Up. I have nothing against the other albums, it’s more that I consider the I.R.S. era to be my favorite and New Adventures in Hi Fi and Up to be my favorite albums outside of that. All things considered, Collapse into Now was a strong effort to go out on when it very well could have been Around the Sun.
Perfect Square, filmed on July 19, 2003, at the Bowling Green in Wiesbaden, Germany, was released on DVD on this day in 2004 in North America. It was released outside of North America on March 8.
24 March 2008 - Main Auditorium, Royal Albert Hall, London, England support: The Duke Spirit, Foals, Robyn Hitchcock & John Paul Jones soundcheck: Losing My Religion (Instrumental) / Electrolite / The Great Beyond / Living Well Is The Best Revenge / Man-Sized Wreath Robyn Hitchcock & John Paul Jones: Balloon Man / Television / Raining Twilight Coast / Glass Hotel / Hurry For The Sky / N.Y. Doll / Olé! Tarantula R.E.M.: Living Well Is The Best Revenge / Accelerate / Drive / Man-Sized Wreath / Electrolite / Houston / Hollow Man / Supernatural Superserious / Final Straw / Losing My Religion / The Great Beyond / I’m Gonna DJ / Horse To Water encore: Imitation Of Life / Until The Day Is Done / Man On The Moon notes: ‘R.E.M. And Friends’, a concert as part of the ICA’s 60th Anniversary celebrations. Parts of the concert were broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Peter Buck & Terry Edwards joined Robyn Hitchcock on ‘N.Y. Doll’ & Peter, Terry, Scott McCaughey & Bill Rieflin joined on ‘Olé! Tarantula’ during their opening set.
25 March
“On this day in 1987, R.E.M. played a small show in their hometown of Athens, Georgia. According to setlist.fm data, the 9-song set at Uptown Lounge featured four live debuts including sprawling single, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).” This was months before the release of their 5th studio album, Document …”
From the R.E.M. Timeline - 25 March 1987 - Uptown Lounge, Athens, GA supporting: Sisters Of Mystery, Charlie Pickett & The MC3 R.E.M.: Welcome To The Occupation / The One I Love / Disturbance At The Heron House / Oddfellows Local 151 / Finest Worksong / Exhuming McCarthy / Lightnin’ Hopkins / Strange / It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) Charlie Pickett & The MC3 set included: Slow Death notes: Charlie Pickett & The MC3 show. R.E.M. perform unannounced as a supporting act as ‘Roar Shack’. Peter Buck also joined Charlie Pickett & The MC3 on guitar on ‘Slow Death’ & other songs during their set. First performances of ‘Welcome To The Occupation’, ‘Disturbance At The Heron House’, ‘Exhuming McCarthy’ and ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’.
27 March 1989 - Senator Nat G. Kiefer University Of New Orleans Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, LA support: Indigo Girls set: Pop Song 89 / Exhuming McCarthy / Welcome To The Occupation / Disturbance At The Heron House / Turn You Inside-Out / Driver 8 / Be All You Can Be - Orange Crush / Cuyahoga / Feeling Gravitys Pull / Time After Time (Annelise) / We Live As We Dream, Alone - World Leader Pretend / Begin The Begin / Tired Of Singing Trouble - I Believe / Pretty Persuasion / Get Up / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) encore 1: Stand / Fall On Me / You Are The Everything encore 2: Finest Worksong / King Of Birds - Letter Never Sent / Swan Swan H / See No Evil encore 3: Harpers / Summertime / Strange / Crazy / Perfect Circle / After Hours notes: This show can be found on the vinyl bootleg “New Orleans”.
28 March 2005 - Mojo Stage, East Coast Blues And Roots Music Festival, Red Devil Park, Byron Bay, Australia other acts performing: Butterfly Boucher, Cake, Bright Eyes, Gomez, Missy Higgins, Sarah McLachlan, Michael Franti & Spearhead set: I Took Your Name / Bad Day / The Outsiders / Animal / Cuyahoga / The One I Love / Electron Blue / Electrolite / The Great Beyond / Leaving New York / Orange Crush / I Wanted To Be Wrong / Final Straw / Imitation Of Life / Walk Unafraid / Losing My Religion encore: What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? / Everybody Hurts / Drive / I’m Gonna DJ / Man On The Moon
29 March 2005 - Main Arena, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia support: Little Birdy, Bright Eyes set: I Took Your Name / Bad Day / So Fast, So Numb / The Outsiders / Driver 8 / High Speed Train / Departure / Strange Currencies / Electron Blue / Animal / Leaving New York / Orange Crush / I Wanted To Be Wrong / Final Straw / Imitation Of Life / The One I Love / Walk Unafraid / Losing My Religion encore: What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? / Everybody Hurts / The Great Beyond / Drive / I’m Gonna DJ / Man On The Moon notes: ‘Strange Currencies’ was dedicated to Michael Hutchence.
12 April 1989 - Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada support: Indigo Girls Indigo Girls set included: Kid Fears
R.E.M.: Pop Song 89 / Exhuming McCarthy / Welcome To The Occupation / Disturbance At The Heron House / Turn You Inside-Out / Maps And Legends / Be All That You Can Be - Orange Crush / Cuyahoga / Feeling Gravity’s Pull / Time After Time (Annelise) / We Live As We Dream, Alone - World Leader Pretend / Begin The Begin / Get Up / Take Five / Pretty Persuasion / Go Daniel - Tired Of Singing Trouble - I Believe / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) encore 1: Stand / Sitting Still / You Are The Everything encore 2: Finest Worksong / King Of Birds - Letter Never Sent / See No Evil encore 3: Dark Globe / Harpers / Summertime / Crazy / Perfect Circle / After Hours notes: Michael joins the Indigo Girls on ‘Kid Fears’ as part of their opening set. After ‘Get Up’, Mike, Peter & Bill played Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’
