I remember the first time I heard R.E.M. They opened for The Police in August 1983, and the thing I remember most is that I don’t remember anything. My siblings told me opening acts sucked and I should not pay attention. I remember they were incredibly manic on stage and Michael Stipe introduced them as The Beatles. The crowd booed, and it went downhill from there.
Half a decade later, I had started a love affair with the band which has not really changed my life, but entertained and informed me. I don’t really know how it happened, but I became pretty obsessed with every detail of the band’s history. I have listened to way too many bootlegs, learned way too many pieces of minutiae and downloaded way too many bootlegs. Even though I realize the limitations of their output, particularly since drummer Bill Berry left the band more than a decade ago.
Now, they have called it quits, according to a post on the band’s official website. When the Twitter post from their account popped up, I prayed they were just teasing a song named “Calling It Quits” or something like that. No such luck.
If I spent the next few hundred words pouring out what this band meant to me, I’d turn into one of those overwrought people who place way too much emphasis on what a performer means to them. Let’s just say that I can connect many important parts of my life to R.E.M. songs, and I’m grateful for that. I saw them in concert seven times after that 1983 performance and soaked up every memory I could. The final time was in 2008 when they played at Merriweather Post Pavilion. This was the last live song I saw R.E.M. perform.
Thanks, guys.