The Greatest Show on Earth

Well, I have just returned home from perhaps one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen. REM and Wilco were both in peak form and there was even a surprise appearance by Tony Clifton, who charged on stage during the performance of Man on the Moon. After pushing Michael down, dumping water all over the band and being a genuine all around jack ass, he was hauled off stage by security while raising his middle finger in a salute to the audience.

Below is the setlist for the night, along with the album on which the song appeared.

1. Begin the Begin - Life's Rich Pageant
2. So Fast, So Numb - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
3. Imitation of Life - Reveal
4. Drive - Automatic for the People
5. Animal - New song, not released
6. Fall on Me - Life's Rich Pageant
7. Bad Day - New song, not released
8. The One I Love - Document
9. (Don't Go Back to) Rockville - Reckoning
10. The Great Beyond - Man on the Moon Soundtrack
11. Orange Crush - Green
12. Daysleeper - Up
13. Electrolite - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
14. Losing My Religion - Out of Time
15. Find the River - Automatic for the People
16. She Just Wants To Be - Reveal
17. Walk Unafraid - Up
18. Man on the Moon - Automatic for the People

Encore
1. Everybody Hurts - Automatic for the People
2. The Finest Worksong - Document
3. Nightswimming - Automatic for the People
4. The Final Straw - New song, not released
5. It's the End of the World as We Know It - Document

In case you're wondering, I did not write all of this down while I was there. Somebody in the front got a hold of the setlist when it was thrown into the audience and posted it on Murmurs.com. Those of you who are knowledgeable of such things (I'm guessing that's actually none of you, since I am an obsessed fan) will notice that there was nothing played from Chronic Town, Murmur, Fables of the Reconstruction, Dead Letter Office, or Monster. I was particularly surprised at the lack of material from Monster. While it is far from being one of my favorite, many of the songs from that album are really good live.

I'd have to say that one of the highlights of the show was seeing Mike Mills sing the lead vocals on Rockville, while Michael attempted to harmonize. Other highlights include Electrolite, Man on the Moon (with Tony Clifton) and End of the World, when Michael left the main stage and moved around in the audience while singing.

This is the fourth time I've seen REM live and I must say that this one was the best of the four. The band was energetic, the audience was into it and the supporting act was also one of my favorite bands.

Well, as I'm sure you know, it is now the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks. I don't really have much to say about it this year. It's kind of odd how, as time passes, the events of that day seem to become more surreal. Yesterday, accompanying an Op-Ed piece in the LA Times, was a picture of a man falling from the World Trade Center. Two years ago, I could not even bear to look at those kinds of pictures. Now, however, it was more like looking at a historical image from which we are a little removed. I don't mean that there were no emotions evoked when looking at it. But, rather than being the type of sharp sadness I felt then, it was more like the dull ache one feels when thinking of a friend or relative who passed away some time ago. It's still sad...but the pain is further removed.

In addition to being the second anniversary of that day, it is also my parent's 38th wedding anniversary. Rather than focusing on the attacks, I'd rather focus on that. I'd rather remember the day for the good things, while still remembering to honor the lives that were lost.