Héél erg veel genoten van het concert. Hieronder een verslagje, dat ik ook schreef voor de fansite murmurs.com...
Standing at about 5 meters from the stage, i was watching the Rotterdam Show. I've seen REM in 1995 (Torhout), 1999 (Werchter), 2003 (Amsterdam & Werchter), and this one was, just like the others, a memorable night. Whereas 1995 was the first time that I saw REM, 1999 was special for the (véry wet and rainy) weather in combination with the UP-tour, Amsterdam 2003 because of the intimacy of the smaller venue and the amount of older songs, Rotterdam was special because of the energy during the show. Not only because of the rocking 40'ers called Mills, Stipe, Buck. It was clear that the stage was maybe the best one since the Monster Tour (or the stage was even better). A lot of movement and light, but never in that amount that it would become annoying.
Starting with Finest Worksong, it already was very impressive to see the lights and the background silver sreens make very beautiful colour combinations. The screen above the stage didn't reveal the possibilities of it in the beginning, but during the rocking Departure, the Wake-up Bomb and Animal it became apparent that they didn't want that screen only to help the sitting people see the faces of the band members clear. In case, that screen was a show itself. 4 little Stipes, the cowboyboots of Mike Mills, parts from the Aftermath-videoclip, even lyrics during the 2 anti-war songs I wanted to be Wrong and Final Straw... i think it's clear R.E.M. wanted to give the audience what they deserved... that kind of thing some people call "memorable".
With 8 songs from the new album "Around the Sun" played, it's clear REM considered this show as being part of a promotion tour. It was nice to see the gameplay Mills, Buck, Holsapple, Rieflin and Stringfellow showed with their mimics and their movements, while Stipe was jumping around, trying to seduce the audience like a modern zorro (as he was painted dark blue between his eyebrows and nose). REM is famous because of the integration of older and more obscture songs in their setlist. That makes them a very good live group, for a part because the songchoice will assure that they won't get bored during a show very quick. Maps and Legends, Orange Crush and the given before Finest Worksong aren't very well known by most people of the audience, but even they went crazy together with the hardcore fans (i'm sure that even the sitting people were wild, but sitting is not a very good incentive to dance). And all these people got some of the songs they wanted to hear: the (more obsessive, like me) fans got the older, less well known AND the newest songs, and the rest got Losing My Religion, the finishing touch Man on the Moon, a waving Drive, good old jumper What's the frequency Kenneth, the poppy Imitation of Life and a very intimistic At My Most Beautiful, all interlated with very beautiful effects. Those newest songs included Electron Blue, the story-like High Speed Train, first Around The Sun-clip Leaving New York, Boy in The Well, and The Outsiders, my girlfriends' favourite.
When the lights went on after a two-hour honey-like sweet show with a lot of rock athmospheres, all the energy in my body flew away. R.E.M. came, saw and conquered. They got you by the neck by the first notes, and threw you back after the explosive Man on The Moon. Filled with adrenalin, exhausted and with a smile.
(and i'll see them in Antwerp again. Yeah!)
