R.E.M.
Live in Padova - 2003-07-22

Sky completely free of clouds, the sun already low on the horizon but still VERY HOT: the Feeder take to the stage, a Welsh band whose drummer, married and father of two children, unexpectedly committed suicide in 2002. The two survivors, Grant Nicholas (vocals and guitar) and Taka Hirose (Japanese, bassist) enlist Mark Richardson (ex-Skunk Anansie) on drums and carry on the band's musical journey: honest, lively power-pop (or pop-rock?) that is quite impressive live.

Then it’s the turn of Sparklehorse: actually, more than a band, it’s a person from a Virginia farm, Mark Linkous, who teams up with various musicians from time to time. He performs half a dozen tracks ranging from delicate ballads reminiscent of Neil Young (even in physical appearance, since Linkous is very tall), to heavily distorted rock pieces (and quite twisted, too).

Then, just before 10 PM, Stipe & Co. arrive, and the atmosphere heats up. Not that it was necessary, since there were probably 200 degrees on the grass and 1000% humidity: let’s say that it was probably raining at leg height.

The R.E.M. don’t really have a new work to promote: a greatest hits is about to be released with a couple of unreleased tracks, but the next album is still in the works. So the setlist includes pieces taken from the entire band’s discography (they’ve prepared about eighty), varying from time to time (and with around fifteen albums behind them, the possibilities are many), and is integrated with pieces requested via the internet by tech-savvy fans and a couple of new pieces ("I'm An Animal" and "Bad Day").

The band is in great shape, especially Stipe, who is very engaging and having fun ("We haven't been playing this song for a very long time, but we're playing it now 'cause we're in fucking Italy!"). His voice is wonderful: I’d kill the idiots next to me who scream the songs, at times risking covering it (I hate them, I hate them, I hate them).

The great thing about R.E.M. is that they are a true rock band, but despite selling millions of copies, they maintain the "indie" spirit of their beginnings and above all remain very modest.
The essential scenography, the absence of amazing special effects, the behavior of "ordinary people," the "right" volume... all things that make me like them. A lot.

And they are excellent musicians: the finale of "Country Feedback," entrusted to Buck's guitar, is chilling ("Took him 22 years to play like that, but when he does now he doesn't fuck around," says Stipe).
Many of their songs have now become anthems. For this, I get slightly less annoyed when everyone screams over "Losing My Religion": as Stipe says, "This song is yours, all yours," it’s a classic and like all classics, it no longer solely belongs to the authors.

In short: a good concert, excellent for gauging the band’s health (for those who care) and also for retracing their (vast) repertoire. Obviously nothing new or particularly original.

PS: the brilliant donzaucher wrote the setlist in a comment, I'm copying it here because it's clearer, thanks donz!

1. So Fast, So Numb
2. Pilgrimage
3. New Test Leper
4. Animal
5. The Great Beyond
6. Driver 8
7. I've Been High
8. Bad Day
9. The One I Love
10. So. Central Rain
11. Fall On Me
12. Daysleeper
13. Electrolite
14. Losing My Religion
15. Cuyahoga
16. Walk Unafraid
17. She Just Wants To Be
18. Man On the Moon
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19. Everybody Hurts
20. Country Feedback
21. Imitation Of Life
22. It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)