(I have probably written about this before, but I don’t care)
When I was in my seat (or, more accurately, standing in front of it) at Merriweather Post Pavilion 13 years ago tonight, I had no idea it would be the last time I saw R.E.M. in concert.
The show came at a crazy time for me. I was super unhappy at work, but had significant responsibilities for a huge event happening the day after the concert. I couldn’t turn off work mode until an hour or so before the first opening act took the stage. In the long run, the distraction probably helped.
I spent the show surrounded by strangers like I did for several other shows. My wife didn’t enjoy the band so I never really planned on having a concert buddy. I had bought two tickets and gave one to my niece, but her brother also had an extra ticket so she hung out with them.
I didn’t mind. While I will talk incessantly about the band, I sometimes just like to be alone with their music. I get so into the shows that I don’t need anyone I know around me.
The set lists for this tour – I would obsessively follow what had happened on previous nights – gave me great hope for something special. They had dappled in Sitting Still, Pretty Persuasion and 1,000,0000 among the songs from Accelerate, plus songs that had become concert staples.
My greatest dreams didn’t come true. The songs they dropped in were fine – Little America, Rockville (hilariously featuring Peter fucking it up massively) and Pop Song 89 – but didn’t meet the bar I had set.
So I left the show a little bummed even though I had a great time. It certainly didn’t meet the level of the 2003 show when my friend Dave Lifton and I walked out of the Patriot Center in a daze from that performance and screamed in joy. (James and Caroline were there too, but I distinctly remember Dave’s reaction after the show and forgot to mention them. James shamed me on Twitter so I have added this.)
When they broke up three years later, I definitely looked at the show in a different light.
Instead of missing a song from Murmur, I remember the time I was singing along to the pre-chorus to These Days, and the guy in the seat in front of me turned around and double high-fived me since I knew all the words.
Instead of lamenting that Worksong was the opener for the second or third time I saw them, I marveled at the spring of Worksong/Living Well/Bad Day/Kenneth in the first four songs.
I remember Mike shrugging as Peter apologized for messing up on Rockville – he skipped the pause during the “waste another year” part after the first chorus. The band caught up and made it work.
I remember Peter seemingly telling Johnny Marr the chord changes when he joined the band for Fall on Me and Man on the Moon.
The show is definitely a favorite memory for me. In the end, I got to see R.E.M. live. All the rest is just gravy.
11 June 2008 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD support: The National, Modest Mouse set: Finest Worksong / Living Well Is The Best Revenge / Bad Day / What's The Frequency, Kenneth? / Drive / Ignoreland / Man-Sized Wreath / Little America / Hollow Man / Walk Unafraid / Houston / Electrolite / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Pop Song 89 / Horse To Water / The One I Love / Driver 8 / Until The Day Is Done / Let Me In / These Days / Orange Crush / I'm Gonna DJ encore: Supernatural Superserious / Losing My Religion / Mr. Richards / Fall On Me / Man On The Moon notes: Johnny Marr guests on guitar on 'Fall On Me' & 'Man On The Moon'.