R.E.M. on Tour

corey · Post by **corey** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 6:27 am

Just wondering if anyone else here has caught the boys on their current North American (or this past summer's European) trek.

I saw them in Toronto on September 30 and was very impressed (I know, what a shock). Mr. Buck played much of the set with his trusty 360, of course.

As well, R.E.M. will be on David Letterman this evening.

kennyhowes · Post by **kennyhowes** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 8:28 am

I screwed up and missed them when they passed through L.A. recently.

I heard they have a new best-of, which covers the WB records. I reeeeally love the I.R.S. stuff...

corey · Post by **corey** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 10:04 am

Kenny - Yeah, it's called "In Time: The Best of R.E.M. from 1988-2003" with two new tracks. If you don't have "Eponymous", look for that record, as that is basically their "best of" from the I.R.S. years...."Gardening at Night" et al.

garrityi · Post by **garrityi** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 10:53 am

Corey - caught them the other night also in Toronto. Surprised Mr. Buck used the Ric so much. Saw them in Vancouver months back rehearsing and he was constantly switching guitars. As to 'Eponymous', I was very pleased they did 'Fall On Me'(orig. frm Pageant). Never seen it live before, Michael & Mike sang the hell out of it.

Also seen Springsteen several times this summer and going to the last show at Shea this Saturday, SVZ has been using his Ric more and more as the tour goes on.

kennyhowes · Post by **kennyhowes** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 10:56 am

Corey - I bought Eponymous the week it came out!

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 12:21 pm

Ivan-
SVZ hosts an EXCELLENT weekly radio show, in case yer interested. I've heard him ponder the importance of rics in rock history.
Kenny -
I dig early REM, before you could understand the words. REM's good diction smacks of commercialism

. Also, I stopped buying when Stipe said he couldn't listen to a Beatle album in it's entirety.

garrityi · Post by **garrityi** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 12:43 pm

Thank you Jerry. SVZ has been up in Toronto hosting the show several times at The Hard Rock here. I have missed his comments on Ric's. What does he generally say about them, and do you know how long he has had his newest Ric with the Gold Pick Guard or was that an add on to his existing one?

rkbsound · Post by **rkbsound** » Thu Oct 02, 2003 3:23 pm

I also caught the Toronto show -- we should have posted here beforehand and gathered for a drink! My wife got the tickets for our anniversary and we made the trek from Rochester NY. Great show!

I also thought it was great to see Peter Buck rely so much on his 360. I would like to ask if those of you who were there noticed that the mix wasn't that good. I couldn't really hear the chime that I normally hear in concert, and the overall mix sounded a bit muddy to me. In the past, their mix has been very clear and crisp.

Song selection was great. It's nice not having a new album to support so that we can hear some older stuff. "I Believe" is my wife's favorite REM tune and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Seats were good, too. I also drank a lot of beer.

corey · Post by **corey** » Fri Oct 03, 2003 2:47 pm

I was over in row 1 of section 120 (Peter's side). I found the mix alright, but I know what you mean about having trouble hearing the Ric jangle when you know that's what Peter was doing. I had previously given my Dad and his fiancee my 3rd row fanclub tickets (this is back a few months ago when I thought I would be living in Vancouver and not Toronto) Oh well, next year's tour, the fanclub seats are M-I-N-E! I was also very pleased with the song selection. I've seen "Sweetness Follows" both times I've seen them in TO. "Maps and Legends" and "Fall on Me" were two of the songs I requested off their website. I'd like to have heard "E-bow The Letter", but they only busted that out in Vancouver with Thom Yorke - you lucky Westerners!

rkbsound · Post by **rkbsound** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 5:27 am

OK...I was in row 2 of 119, but 119 was really 120 for the show. Seat 34 and 35 next to the aisle. We were either within spitting distance or you were in front of me!!!!

corey · Post by **corey** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 10:21 am

I think we were pretty close to each other. I talked to some folks behind me who had seats in the 30's (we were all complaining as to how disorganised the ACC seating was). As it was, I got moved a few feet down the aisle by the same staff who showed me where my seat was in the first place.

cdaniel · Post by **cdaniel** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 12:24 pm

In case anyone's interested, on the Letterman show Thursday night (02Oct2003), Peter Buck played a 360JG, a backup guitarist played what looked like a Les Paul, and Mike Mills played a Farter Precision. (Sorry if I offend users of that particular line, but that's what they sound like to me. Jazz basses not so much, but still a bit farty in the low end.)

Couldn't identify the song, but I pretty much stopped paying attention to them when Mills stopped using Rickenbackers. (Coincidence, or conspiracy?) Mike Stipe used to live in this region (St. Louis, MO--he drove over from the Illinois side) when we were teens, and I had some pictures of him in costume from when we used to dress up for the local "Rocky Horror Picture Show" showings on weekends in 1978. Good times, good times.

jwilli · Post by **jwilli** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 4:14 pm

If I remember corectly, P. Buck also uses a replica of his 360 JG made for him by RIC. Kenny could ask John Hall about this. The one he played on TV last week looked too new to be his "old" one.

corey · Post by **corey** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 5:19 pm

Kenny - It would also be interesting if you could find out if Mike Mills does indeed have one of the new 8 string Ric basses. I remember posting a pic of him using it in-studio a few months ago, but I don't know if it was made/given to him, or just something he found in Bryan Adams' studio in Vancouver.

rickde · Post by **rickde** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 12:46 am

REM really rocked on Letterman last week. That song kicked ***. Does anyone know if the cd coming out has any other new songs on it?? I know it is a "best of" cd, but that song on Letterman was new.