The band has played three legs on the show, and I already wonder if I have died and gone to heaven. Because these are set lists that just defy earthly thinking. Last night in L.A., they not only played Pretty Persuasion, they opened with it. Two Three songs later, they played Sitting Still. I shit […]
Tonight’s the night. I know the band has played a few live shows already, but R.E.M. starts its summer tour for real tonight in Vancouver. To say I am excited is an understatement. I won’t get my chance to see them for a couple of weeks, but I will pore over tonight’s set list to […]
As the tour to support “Accelerate” approaches, Peter Buck has started to puff out his chest because, as he puts it, he finally got his way. I always complained and I always suggested that we work quicker and more spontaneously. The other guys weren’t into it. I think maybe the reception (‘Around the Sun’) got […]
Kathleen O’Brien Layson has a birthday today. I have no idea how old she is. I have never met her. But the party she threw for herself in 1980 – when I was 11 years old – changed the face of rock history. KO, as her friends called her, convinced four friends of hers to […]
Thanks to my obsession with R.E.M., Accelerate‘s tidy running time of around 40 minutes and the fact I heard it for free a week before its official release on iLike, I have listened to the new album more than a few times. Here are a few completely and utterly biased thoughts. As a big fan […]
R.E.M. hits the road tonight. The tour to support Accelerate, which does not come out for a few more weeks, opens tonight at the Langerado Festival in Florida. Big geek that I am, I will troll the Web tonight looking for a set list. I also hope some good folks are out there taping the […]
Did you look at the R.E.M. tour schedule and feel sad because they won’t come close to your city? Fear not – NPR has come to the rescue. The band’s March 12 show at the South by Southwest Festival will be broadcast and webcast on NPR. The show may also be podcast for future listening. […]
With less than 50 days until Accelerate comes out, I find myself pretty much unable to contain my excitement. The first single, “Supernatural Superserious” is pretty cool, and you can buy it at iTunes. The band has also set up a site where you can see the raw footage from the song’s video shoot. You […]
Little by little, R.E.M.’s new album Accelerate comes into view. First, we had the Dublin rehearsals. For almost 40 days, we have had the clips at Ninety Nights. Before this week, we had heard a clip of “Supernatural Superserious” and seen a clip about the making of the video for the song. Now you can […]