It's been 24 years since the rock veteran band R.E.M. first sprouted roots in its hometown of Athens, Ga., and 17 albums later, frontman Michael Stipe is as socially and politically conscious as ever.
Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills kicked off their 2004 North American tour at the Greek Theater last Wednesday night, which Stipe believes to be "...the best outdoor venue in Los Angeles," and was where he first saw Neil Young, a show he remembered as being "transformative."
Fresh off the "Vote for Change" tour, Stipe's message was unmistakable and can best be summarized in the performance of the song "Cuyahoga" ("Let's put our heads together and start a new country up/Our father's father's father tried, erased the parts he didn't like") off the 1986 album, "Life's Rich Pageant."
The "Vote For Change" tour, presented by moveonpac.org, featured live performances by numerous musicians in a nine-day tour in swing states advocating Democrat Sen. John Kerry for America's next president. Acts such as Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Bruce Springsteen, the Dixie Chicks, John Fogerty, Bonnie Raitt, John Mellencamp, Ben Harper and James Taylor took the stage in states like Florida and Ohio with the final concert in Washington, D.C., Oct. 11.
With its first 1981 single, "Radio Free Europe," R.E.M. was one band associated with a time period, signifying a change in the face of after-the-fact punk, and transforming it into the popular alternative rock. The group borrowed from the traditional punk aesthetic and shaped guitar-based fresh pop songs into a style that struck a chord with underground garage bands.
It all started with its 1982 album, "Chronic Town," a work that highlighted the band's propensity for a unification between folk country and garage rock with its extraordinary melodious choruses, twang guitars, brash reverb, unblushing bass lines and enigmatic lyricism.
"We're R.E.M and we approve of this concert," Stipe announced, wearing jet black pants, shirt and blazer with pearl white shoes while on his face black paint around his eyes resembled that of the Lone Ranger's mask. He moved around on stage with the swagger of Elvis in his hips and the unpredictability of Iggy Pop in his limbs.
R.E.M. performed a handful of songs from its new album, "Around the Sun," including the title track inspired by Galileo and Copernicus, the enticing ballad "Leaving New York," the silvery "Boy in the Well" and the musical response to the war in Iraq called "Final Straw."
Although R.E.M. was established in the south, Mills and drummer Bill Berry were the only two southern gentlemen. Stipe was the son of a military officer and traveled all over the U.S. He enrolled at the University of Georgia and in 1978 he met Californian Buck at a local record shop where Buck worked. In 1997, Berry left the band for life on the farm and R.E.M. continued as a trio.
R.E.M. broke into the mainstream in 1987 with the album "Document" and soon became one of the most popular rock bands that ended up as a date with fame that its members perceived as surprising since they already had acquired a loyal subterraneous fan base.
R.E.M. left the touring world for six years in 1988 after its worldwide promotion of "Green." It was during this time, the group recorded two of its most adored albums -- 1991's "Out of Time" and 1992's "Automatic for the People." R.E.M finally returned to the stage in 1995 with the release of "Monster."
During the show at the Greek, Stipe would interchangeably sip from a cup of tea and a glass of white wine, both sitting only a few feet away from a plastic miniature dinosaur collection displayed over the top of two amps and sound boxes associated with them.
Fans lingered in the damp evening air for the headliners to take the stage following the marvelous performance of a fellow Georgia band and opening act, Five Eight.
The stage lighting, particularly in the foreground, that on the big screen looked like television static, was, up close, a series of slender harsh halogen office lights that many people know all too well. They hung from their vertical ends with thin rectangular metal sheets suspended behind them. Aside from the intriguing aesthetic presence and theme, the actual functionality of the display made for the best light show of any concert this year.
R.E.M. also played a few personal favorites - "Imitation of Life" with its communicable chorus and "Bad Day," an ode to celebrity that captures the humor and surrealism in the concept of fame yet the frustration and degradation accompanying it from a public that can't seem to look past the illusion. The show, incidentally, did attract a few famous folks who are as divergent as R.E.M's lyrical content (from television film star/radio personality Danny Bonaduce to actor Peter Sarsgaard)
Stipe also offered his opinion on the best indoor Los Angeles venue that he cited as being the Wiltern Theater and the locale that evening for a charity event to raise funds for the Daniel Pearl Foundation. Pearl was a staff writer for the Wall Street Journal who was abducted by militant extremists in Karachi in January of 2002 and murdered almost a month later. "This next song is dedicated to Daniel. It belongs to him and every one of us, and we're happy to play it for you," said Stipe. The song: "Losing My Religion."
Stipe exhibited his vocal adeptness with the next song by opening with a chromatic scale in "Walk Unafraid" which eventually dropped into a fast-paced tempo over expansive singing - the melodic eye of the tornado.
Stipe and company began the encore with "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" and welcomed back to the stage Five Eight for a ballad, "Country Feedback."
Stipe talked about his time performing during the Kerry-endorsed tour and encouraged everyone to get involved in the voting process. Stipe began to talk about a strong need for change in the U.S., but was abruptly interrupted by a fan standing in the first few rows who yelled, "Four More Years!"
Stipe then dedicated "Welcome to the Occupation" to what he characterized as the Republican enclave standing close by, followed with "Permanent Vacation" and the punk anthem "I'm Gonna DJ."
Stipe then turned his back to the crowd, threw on a white T-shirt that, when finally revealed, was of a star in the center of it with the word "Kerry" above. R.E.M. ended the show with "Man on the Moon" written for the outlandish and endearing song-and-dance man, Andy Kaufman.
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