meandthestereo

Some bands stay with you through the years, others are just a passing trend.

In high school, I listened to Fuel and the Foo Fighters and Live and Counting Crows.  In college, my freshman year, I would listen to A Perfect Circle and Tool.  Later on, I would listen to The Shins and Elliott Smith.

I’ve listened to R.E.M. for many years, and their songs have stuck by me through good and bad times, thoughtful and emotional times.  The first R.E.M. album I got was New Adventures in Hi-Fi.  Because of my age, I was joining them late in the game.  It has been a treasure trove of albums to discover.  I admire how unique R.E.M.’s career has been and how they seem to continually challenge themselves to keep being creative. Of course, besides the music and instrumentation, I am a huge lyrics person.  My ears always strain to make out the singer’s words when I’m listening to any music.  Michael Stipe’s lyrics and delivery never fail to be poetic.  One of my favorite songs is “Find the River,” the last song on Automatic for the People.  In high school, my favorite R.E.M. song was “Strange Currencies.”

R.E.M. does not seem to fit into any mold.  I am glad for my sake that they have had so much commercial success.  Of course, a favorite band is a very personal thing.  It’s nice to know that sometimes unique and eloquent music can be widely recognized.

I’ve been to two R.E.M. shows, at different amphitheaters.  I especially have fond memories of the first one, in the late 1990’s it must have been.  My friend and I stood in the crowd watching from the lawn.  It was the tour for the album Up, with a backdrop on the stage of a fun neon lights collage.  The place was packed with people and the crowd’s energy was amazing.  R.E.M. performed encore after encore, at least three encores if not more.  I remember they even performed “Sweetness Follows” because Michael Stipe mentioned on stage that it was one of Peter Buck’s favorites.  Partway through the performance a really drunk woman in the front row had to be removed at Michael Stipe’s request.

Peter Buck, live, with R.E.M.

I think I was completely mesmerized during the entire concert.  I must have been in high school, that age when you are still particularly prone to awe-inspiring experiences that you didn’t quite know existed.

What can I say?  Life is rich and wonderful.  I’m just so happy that a group of accomplished musicians has been sharing some of the beauty of life as they see it for so many years.

This is Belle’s 2nd post for meandthestereo! You can also check out an article she did on Pop Music, here. And check out her “duel” review with Renato, here! Look out for more of Belle every Wednesday where she discusses lifestyle and music!