For the first time in the 27 years since R.E.M. hit the music scene, every generation of the group’s expanded fan base can experience the auditory impact of an R.E.M. concert through the band’s first live CD, simply titled R.E.M. Live.
The CD, which was taped in Dublin over a two-day period in February 2005, contains 21 R.E.M. classics spread over two discs. These songs span from the band’s early underground days of the 1980s to their most recent and frequently played album, 2003’s Around the Sun, with a number of airwave favorites in between.
R.E.M. Live kicks off with the anxious roaring of the crowd on the first song, "I Took Your Name," from their 1994 album, Monster. The opener is one of the very few rarities on the CD; the rest of the songs are collective singles and material from the latest album. The lead singer, Michael Stripe, doesn’t disappoint, as his impacting gritty vocals are tight and clear while still holding on to his signature, haunting undertones through the echoing microphone.
Highlights off the live CD are "Orange Crush" and "Cuyahoga." Both songs originated from the band’s college underground roots in the late 1980s. Remarkably, the live songs still linger with the coarse, unconventional tones that represented their music during that era. The band’s age shows no hindrance to their performance as they are able to match and exceed the energy of these songs they played decades earlier.
Commercial smash hits from the early 1990s, such as "Everybody Hurts" and "Losing My Religion," are obviously met with the greatest acclaim from the crowd. The quiet, murmuring sing-along actually enhances the jagged desperation in Stripe’s voice, as you can hear his stimulating connection with the crowd.
R.E.M. strays slightly from their attention-grabbing set list with six songs from their 2003 release, Around the Sun. Songs such as "Boy in the Well" and "The Ascent of Man" sit stagnant, unable to enthrall the crowd or create a memorable impression. R.E.M. plays two other songs back-to-back from their latest CD, titled "I Wanted to be Wrong" and "Final Straw," protesting the Bush administration. Although the band is able to stamp their political message with the help of the uproar of applause from the feisty Dublin crowd in the introduction, the songs have a hard time holding strong disposition as the powerful message fades away into a somber hymn.
Despite these few flaws, R.E.M. Live is a captivating collection of the troupe’s greatest work, delivering the crisp clarity of the studio while encompassing the spontaneity and energy found in a live show. The juxtaposition of the set list helps open audiences up to the broad range of music that embodies R.E.M, covering 12 different albums in the 21-song set list. A surprise in the lineup is the unreleased song, "I’m Gonna DJ," a short, high-tempo song in which Stripe sings against a screeching guitar and clatter of the symbol, "Hey steady, steady, I don’t want to go until I’m good and ready." With the continuation of such vivacious performances, one can only hope that R.E.M. is never ready to go.
