R.E.M. w/ Modest Mouse & The National @ Molson Amphitheatre

And another artist whom I've waited all my life to see can now get crossed off that list. Sunday night marked a historical night in the concert going life of yours truly, as I finally got around to seeing R.E.M. in concert. The show was nothing short of spectacular and although I could (and will) make all of the typical long time fan type of complaints, there were still enough surprises to keep me as entertained as a little girl.

First off the band opened with These Days from Life's Rich Pageant, a personal fave and an awesome way to open a show. I cannot express how much that excited me! They continued to rock most triumphantly, following up with Horse To Water (from Accelerate) and What's The Frequency, Kenneth?, ensuring that the fans got off to a delightfully hyper start. I was actually amazed at what a dynamic frontman Stipe is. For some reason, I always pictured him to be much more introverted. But nothing could be farther from the truth. He played the role of eccentric rock star perfectly, with just the right mix of pomp and charisma. Following the John Cusack rule of mixtape making, at that point they took it down a notch with Drive. I'm confident enough with my manhood to admit that I may have teared up a little bit during this song, coming to the realization that the band who practically raised me was actually on the stage in front of me. The show continued to me a fine mix of the old and new, the band pulling out songs like Begin The Begin and 7 Chinese Brothers, all to my surprise, and my favorite moment was during the encore when Johnny Marr joined them onstage for Fall On Me, one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

As I mentioned, my complaints about the show are all very fanboy and typical. They didn't play a lot of the songs that I would've liked to hear. I could've done without hearing BOTH Losing My Religion and Man On The Moon since those are the only songs in the R.E.M. catalogue that I am truly sick of. But clearly my opinion is really only an opinion, because the crowds ate it up. And let's be honest, if they played something like Letter Never Sent, I probably would have had a heart attack. I actually thought it was funny how when Religion was playing the people went nuts, rushing to the front and into the aisles, screaming with unmitigated enthrallment, only to have the band kick them with a shocker by following up with the far less known Second Guessing. I loved jumping around and singing along to that one while all those who were proclaiming their love for the band just a few moments ago, suddenly didn't know what to do with themselves. Bwahahaha! Miss your Mix 99 much?

I also wanted to quickly mention that there was actually a tornado warning for Toronto, and the Amphitheatre is right by the lake which is probably not where you want to be when there's a tornado warning. Prior to R.E.M. hitting the stage, rain was falling and lightning was crashing. But just before they hit the stage, the sky cleared and a rainbow appeared in the sky. It was pretty cool.

Photos: My shots of R.E.M. at Molson Amphitheatre are on flickr.
Myspace: R.E.M.
Video: Hollow Man youtube

Typical conversation in my life:

Indie loving friends: Modest Mouse is the greatest thing in the world ever!
Me: Yah, I don't know, I....
ILF: Have you ever seen them live?
Me: No, I haven't
ILF: Oh, well that's why! Cuz' they're just so unbelievably fantastic that their fantasticness makes me feel all fantastic inside!!!
Me: I guess I'll have to check them out...

Well, now I've seen them and it was great in its own way, but now I can confidently say that I will never be one of those people who really 'get' them. The playing was tight though, and although I'm not a big MM fan, I am a pretty huge Johnny Marr fan, so there was something very surreal about seeing him. The album I like best is The Moon and Antarctica, and they surprisingly played a couple from that, which was sorta cool. But Isaac Brock's voice still gives me a migraine and their lack of variety still miffs me. But there were a lot of people that were clearly there specifically to see them, and I'm sure that they left completely satisfied.

Photos: Modest Mouse @ Molson Amphitheatre on flickr
Myspace: Modest Mouse
Video: We've Got Everything on youtube

First openers The National, on the other hand, were gold. They played a 45 minute set that included mainly songs from last years critical darling Boxer, and this show just solidified the fact that they are more than deserving of all of the hype. When I got off the bus at Lakeshore, I heard the band opening with Start A War, so I ran like Forrest Gump to get in the stadium as fast as I could. The sound was magnificent, and it was fun to see this already successful band winning over even more fans. Scattered sporadically throughout the crowd were clearly people who were there specifically to see them, but there were far more in attendance poised for conversion. I saw someone sitting a couple of rows in front of me rush out to pick up their CD. I saw people looking at their significant others and doing that "Wow, they're pretty good" head shake thing. I'm pretty sure that they have been and will continue to be winning over fans throughout the course of the entire tour. Fake Empire sounded downright inspirational and Mistaken For Strangers was also a highlight.

Photos: The National @ Molson Amphitheatre on flickr
Myspace: The National
Video: Mistaken For Strangers on youtube