R.E.M. Live At The Royal Albert Hall

With the new album Accelerate almost released, R.E.M. play at The Royal Albert Hall to preview the 35 minutes of new material. Yes, 35 minutes.

The set list (from Murmers.com):

Main

Living Well Is The Best Revenge*
Accelerate*
Drive
Man-Sized Wreath*
Electrolite
Houston*
Hollow Man*
Supernatural Superserious*
Final Straw
Losing My Religion
The Great Beyond
I'm Gonna DJ*
Horse To Water*

Encore

Imitation Of Life
Until The Day Is Done*
Man On The Moon

*from Accelerate

The gig was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 - well the main set list anyway, with encores, to follow during the day after. With a set limited to promoting the new album, it was a wonderful shambles. The new songs are short and spiky and delivered with energy and determination, even if Stipe’s voice is slightly shaky. Peter Buck plays his guitar constantly and the band have regressed back to the garage band days for Accelerate. With great backing vocals from Mills, it takes you back pre-Green to Life’s Rich Pageant.

In between all this new energy laid waste to the mid-tempo hopelessness of Around The Sun, R.E.M. still have time for live favourites such as Drive (the original version and not the funky ’live’), Electrolite, a near perfect Losing My Religion and The Great Beyond. It is so evident in current times to hear musicians preaching about the state of the world, but Americans have a lot to shout about. And R.E.M. have never shied away from politics and a great performance of Final Straw was delivered with dark foreboding, like new song Houston and Until The Day Is Done. It’s what Stipe does best - within all the new Monster-esque sexy rock, it is always the serious stuff that is relevant and pointed.

I can’t comment on the encores but the main set was predictable, safe and short. It would be naïve to expect anything more from such an orchestrated showcase at one of the worlds most prestigious live venues. Stipe announced that given the heritage and aesthetic of the venue he wanted an entirely acoustic set. I’m glad they didn’t as the new songs work live. The two missing from Accelerate, Mr. Richards and Sing For The Submarine, were out for a reason but you can’t help thinking that given the event, it wouldn’t have hurt to play the whole album plus a few more of the older songs, giving a longer set. It was described as a ‘Radio 2’ set played for a ‘Radio 2’ audience. Probably right.

So, R.E.M. are back with a solid yet expected event and a very short punchy album. From what I have heard of Accelerate so far, it is tightly edited with only a few down turns as the album sags at the end, lifts and then concludes with a high. The live sound is now great and the band, Stipe and Buck in particular sound invigorated. Given that the UK is not an entirely happy place for R.E.M. and the last time the band tried to ‘rock’, it resulted in Monster, the worst album they have made, and a tour that ended with the near death of former drummer Bill Berry, maybe now they can put some of the ghosts to rest.