R.E.M. Have Setlist Issues

Molson Amphitheatre

Toronto, ON

on Jun 8 2008

Noah Love (CHARTattack)

06/09/2008 2:30pm

I haven't seen R.E.M. since they played a free show in downtown Toronto seven years ago. That show was a promotion for their second post-Bill Berry album, Reveal, also known as the first confirmation that Up's myriad weaknesses were no fluke. But so powerful was the goodwill at the free concert that it was practically impossible to notice how terrible the Reveal material was, even as it bogged down the middle of the set. Hilariously, it rained halfway through, just in time for the schlocky "I'll Take The Rain," and the cheers for that fortuitous timing only further blurred the fact that the song itself was awful. This year R.E.M. are touring their best-reviewed album since 1996, and though Accelerate is no Automatic For The People or Murmur, it made the Athens, Ga. rock legends realize that the best part of their career came before they spent three albums trying to recreate "Everybody Hurts."

But R.E.M. have rarely faltered on — opening bands. The Accelerate tour features two who, combined, could probably draw almost as many fans as the headliners. The National were up first and the quintet (plus touring multi-instrumentalist Padme Newsome) had the amphitheatre three-quarters full at 6:30 p.m., which is no small feat. Singer Matt Berninger put on a performance that was as big as it had to be. The rest of the group, sounded a little quiet. To be honest, in a venue that size, the first band on the bill never sound as good as the other two.

Case and point, Modest Mouse, who've been playing bigger venues since the late touring of Good News For People Who Love Bad News, and knew how to handle a sizeable crowd. I caught two Modest Mouse sets last year — one was a total disaster at Toronto's Sony Centre (bassist Eric Judy was absent, so bass was played by committee, and poorly), and the other was their slot at Lollapalooza. On neither occasion were the group as tight or comfortable as they were on Sunday night. It's also past the point where Modest Mouse are packing stage time with songs from the big-selling but lackluster We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. While there were a few tracks from that near-miss, fans also got Good News standout "Satin In A Coffin" and The Lonesome Crowded West's rarely played gem "Truckers Atlas." The applause they received at the end of the 50-minute set was as loud as anything R.E.M. got later, and there were even some boos when the house lights went up.

Then R.E.M. demonstrated how not to write a set list if you've been around for more than 25 years and have 14 studio albums to your name.

Initially it seemed like this performance would be highly memorable one. "Horse To Water" and "Man-Sized Wreath," two of Accelerate's better tracks, dotted an opening run that included "Drive," "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" new-to-this-tour oldie "Ignoreland" and "So Fast, So Numb." But Accelerate dominated the pace of the show from there. Sure, those songs are upbeat, but they're also kind of soulless. It didn't help that the tracks played in between the Accelerate onslaught weren't exactly barnburners.

"Bad Day" is considered an old track because it was written in the band's heyday, but the song was recorded by R.E.M. at their weakest in 2003. "Electrolite" remains an inescapable mid-set energy sucker (a good song for an encore, but not for the main set), and don't even get me started on Around The Sun's "Final Straw." When even Peter Buck agrees the last decade sucked for the group, it's best not to play anything from it. Even "The One I Love" and "Orange Crush" couldn't drag the crowd fully back into it. It wasn't until "Losing My Religion" in the encore that people seemed to go, "I guess this is the exciting part," and lost their shit — sort of.

The goodwill is still there for R.E.M. The audience fully indulged Stipe every time he bantered with them and this type of performance is infinitely preferable to probably any the group put on in the last five years. But until R.E.M. realize that new albums are simply a vehicle to get a 28-year-old band on the road, not something you end your main set with and open the encore with, their shows will remain remarkably hit and miss.

Here is the setlist:

"These Days"
"Horse To Water"
"What's The Frequency Kenneth?"
"Drive"
"Man-Sized Wreath"
"So Fast, So Numb"
"Ignoreland"
"Accelerate"
"Seven Chinese Brothers"
"Hollow Man"
"Bad Day"
"Houston"
"Electrolite"
"Living Well Is The Best Revenge"
"The One I Love"
"Final Straw"
"Until The Day Is Done"
"Let Me In"
"Begin The Begin"
"Animal"
"Orange Crush"
"I'm Gonna DJ"

Encore:
"Supernatural Superserious"
"Losing My Religion"
"Second Guessing"
"Fall On Me (with Johnny Marr)"
"Man On The Moon"