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R.E.M. treated their New York fans to an arena-size rock 'n' roll show last night at Madison Square Garden, and those fans have been sharing their experience on MTV's You R Here. Users PlayboyTonyNYC, Radhika and EmptyVitamin uploaded a slew of camera-phone pictures, and Radhika posted a rather detailed review of the career-spanning set, writing:
New York's Madison Square Garden was the place to be Thursday night, thanks to a brilliant performance by the legendary R.E.M. Featuring a lively light show, funky camera work relayed on projection screens, and a hefty dose of biting political commentary courtesy of singer Michael Stipe, the concert proved that the band still knows exactly how to hold a crowd's attention.
Stipe was in top form throughout the night, dressed in a sharp suit while lithely dancing around the stage, smiling and occasionally making self-deprecating remarks. "This song is like from the year 1740," he joked while introducing "Ignoreland" from 1992's Automatic for the People, and at another point he even asked one of the audience members if he needed earplugs since he looked so "miserable."
While R.E.M. did play a good amount of material from their latest album, Accelerate, they also threw in some old favorites and even some lesser-known tracks. The band actually played three songs from 1984's Reckoning, with bass player Mike Mills singing and taking center stage for "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville."
Newer songs such as "Man-Sized Wreath," "I'm Gonna DJ" and "Supernatural Superserious" fared well as they were packed with an extra dose of energy that made them sound even better live. Stipe's voice was incredibly clear and sounded remarkably unchanged as it resonated throughout the venue.
Of course, classic hits such as "The One I Love" and "Losing My Religion" were greeted with some of the most excited cheers heard during the night. I have to admit that cliché as it may seem, hearing thousands of people sing along to those songs was incredible, and a perfect indication of why major arena shows can be a ton of fun even when you don't have the best seats in the house.
Head on over to the You R Here Blog to read the rest, or register at You R Here and upload your own concert reviews and photos!
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