Like last year, R.E.M. had a flashy stage at MSG last night, but nothing spectacular. Angela McCluskey's unusual voice (as Bjork would sound if she was American) was a warm-up before the main event. Her other talents include the ability to put "fuckin'" into every single sentence she utters.
R.E.M. opened with "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" rousing the fans. A friend immediately related this to the presidential elections, which was reaffirmed throughout the concert by Mike's references to "this very strange Thursday evening". The newer stuff followed for the next half hour until "This one goes out to the one I love" brought everyone to their feet, matched only by "Losing My Religion". The second part of the concert (a.k.a. fake encore) was essentially "The Best of R.E.M" including "What's the Frequency Kenneth?", "Drive (tick-tock)", "Imitation of Life (C'mon, C'mon)". I was a bit surprised to see a large group of teenagers around us respond to all songs, old and new, just like I did a decade ago. That is what makes R.E.M. great.
These teenagers loudly complained after the concert that "Orange Crush" was not played. I wish I heard "Radio Song", "Bad Day", and "Everybody Hurts". Just if it could have lasted longer!