REM Review – Noxyrsox is chuffed
I always said that REM was one band I had to see before I died so seeing Michael Stipe get down on stage last night was absolutely awesome. He appeared dressed in black with a painted Zorro-type mask painted across his face, looking his usual strange self and proceeded to deliver pitch-perfect songs from a range of albums dating back to the early 80’s.
Unfortunately there were <...
STRONG>no big screens on the side of the stage but rather one rectangular screen above the band which showed images of the live performance mixed with beautiful graphics and effects. I have never before seen a crowd so big in the dome and it made the atmosphere even more electric. I found myself staring over the thousands of raised hands throughout the show – completely in awe that such legends were RIGHT THERE!
Highlights of the show were hearing ‘Losing my Religion,” ‘Everybody Hurts,’ ‘Electrolite’ and my fave, ‘Man on the Moon,’ as well as two Anti-US-Government songs which raised massive cheers. I still have a problem with the sound at Northgate, however, and I really wish we could just start going back to Joburg Stadium or Ellis Park for an authentic live performance feel. A band as big as REM deserves a big venue – enough of this bull about alternative venues not being safe. If people can go watch the rugby regularly why can’t we go watch the big bands where they should be? Besides all that though it was fantastic to see the band perform so flawlessly.
My only complaint is that it was not nearly enough time for them to cover songs spanning nearly 4 decades and being such a big fan I wanted to hear them all. Oh well, this just gives me more reason to keep seeing them again and again and again. My parting words, in true groupie fashion – ‘I love you Michael Stipe!!’
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