Farewell to R.E.M.

The first time I heard R.E.M. I believe it was in my friend Ray's bedroom when we were in 7th or 8th grade. The album out at the time was Document and tracks like Finest Worksong stuck in my head. That must have been around 1987 and Ray and I quickly bought up R.E.M's past catalog; Eponymous - a greatest hits compilation of sorts - had introduced us to many of the early classics that we were eager to own.

24 years later, I'm saddened to learn of the band splitting up. Many of the more casual fans had moved on after Automatic For The People but I kept on through the quieter years (Up, Reveal), the return to a harder sound (Accelerate) and even the latest Collaspe Into Now, one of their better albums in recent years. But R.E.M. - like few other bands that I've loved - can never make a truly bad song. Because of this I've always bought their new material and tried to support them on tour. 

My first R.E.M. show was the Green tour and I saw it at the Nassua Colliseum. My last must have been a show at Madison Square Garden for the Around the Sun tour. I think. Something tells me a reunion tour won't be out of the question years down the road.

There's something about Michael Stipe's voice that has always haunted me. I'll never be able to separate my first visit to the University of Virginia (to visit my brother) from the sounds of Radio Free Europe and Gardening at Night. Something about those early beer buzzes, dark fall nights and the feeling of freedom being away from home is captured in their sound. Stipe soars on Nightswimming, Man on the Moon and Find the River from Automatic. As he does on the later Leaving New York and latest It Happened Today. It has always been such a beautiful gift; one I will keep forever. 

I wish the band the best on their now separate journeys. And am thankful I have 16 albums to remember their greatness.

Comments

[Carlo]

Beer buzz at UVA? But you must have been underage ;-)

They will be missed...

[Stephen]

With you on all of the above. It was roughly the end of my sophomore year at Emory when suddenly everyone stopped listening to Carolina beach music and Animal House - style R&B, and started listening to this fast-paced stuff with an edge, from this underground band in Athens, and this other cool band from Ireland. Those two bands changed everything. And REM were also early advisors and advocates for my friends the Indigo Girls, which I'll always appreciate. They shared producers, tour dates, and road advice, and it made a big difference.

[Ros]

Scarlo!!!

No, the first show was MSG on the early leg of the Green tour, remember? Then they broke even bigger and swung back around a year later for Nassau Colliseum.

I'll never forget Indigo Girls opening for them at the MSG show and being ill-prepared for the size and rabid intensity of the audience waiting for REM. They were getting heckled and booed throughout their set. Nobody clapped after songs. Then when you could hear a pin drop in that place from lack of interest, one dude somewhere in the vastness of MSG screamed "Get off the stage! We want REM!" And the whole place ERUPTED in screaming, cheers, and applause. Felt a bit bad for Indigo Girls, but man, that was an awesome (and hilarious) moment.

Now I'm waiting for them to pull a Pixies in a few years and do a reunion tour playing the full Fables or Pageant albums. :)

[Tony]

Ros - what kills me is that their last tour I remember coming through NYC (Accelerate with a date at MSG) I almost went to last minute. But then my writer partner Chuck and I got swamped at work and passed on the seats. Turns out all they played at that tour was way early Chronic Town stuff through Life's Rich Pageant. We both wanted TO DIE the next day when we found out.