Ain’t No Cure for the R.E.M. Summertime Blues
I was all set to work on a long-delayed review of the Counting Crows record today. I’ve been listening to them obsessively all week and I was primed to finally get that done. I was also planning to write up the re-release of Mudhoney’s Superfuzz Bigmuff that I bought earlier this week. 11 has foiled my plans for the day. I have been thwarted!
R.E.M. kicked off their Accelerate tour last night and he e-mailed me the set list. Now I’m hooked on R.E.M. and the hopes I had for doing the other work is damn near dead.
There is a 50/50 chance I may make a second pilgrimage (niiiiice) to Atlanta to see a longtime favorite in concert for the first time. I’ve never seen R.E.M. live and this just will not do. I’d planned to get tickets for this tour but two factors stopped me.
First, Atlanta. I know the band hails from nearby Athens, GA and any Atlanta show is likely to be special, but Atlanta and I have a blood feud and these things are not easily cast aside. Atlanta is a Montague and I am a Capulet- or something like that. I was also hedging my bet that they’d play more than the 16 North American dates they’ve thus far announced and that one of those shows might be close enough to see without actually being in Atlanta.
Second, timing. Technically I had money when the tickets went on sale but I’d made paying bills our highest priority at that time. I passed on R.E.M., Radiohead, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers because all three were playing A) in Atlanta and B) at a time when I was trying to be a bit more responsible. Sadly, I’m likely to go 0/3 this summer. I’ve never seen Radiohead either (seen Tom Petty twice) but there is a small chance R.E.M. could still come through.
On the off chance that it does, I feel like I better get to work. The Vancouver gig demonstrated these guys are likely to play anything so I need to be ready. It’s time to brush up on my R.E.M. catalog. I will be ready.
Filed under: R.E.M.
