SXSW ‘08 Review: R.E.M. @ Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
March 12, 2008 - Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Austin, TX
The Hype: R.E.M. were scheduled to perform at midnight on the dot. However, around 12:15 they still had not taken the stage. The anticipation in the crowd built steadily as the time slowly passed. I was sitting in the photo pit with the audience circled around me and I could feel the emotions of the fans growing stronger with each passing minute.
The Show: Finally, the lights dimmed and the crowd roared. Out of the 20 shows I have seen at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q, this crowd was by far the loudest yet. Suddenly Michael Stipe took the stage followed by the rest of the band. I could hear fans behind me saying, “Man, I just got the best deja vu ever! I feel like it’s 1995 right now when I saw them play last!” Michael looked at the crowd and said, “Hello my kids of Austin!” and began to jam out with their first song.
They have been out of action for a bit, but the reaction of the crowd and the size of the venue (the largest one at SXSW) made you forget that you were on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas. I honesty felt like I was back in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. I personally was not the biggest fan of the band, but after hearing the crowd react and seeing Michael running from one side of the stage to the other, my interest in this band definitely grew. In the middle of the second song, Michael grabbed his hat and threw it into the crowd, then proceeded to walk toward me (directly in the center of the photo pit) and pointed at me and give me a nod, almost as if to say thanks for coming.
The Verdict: Unfortunately as a press photographer I was only allowed to stay in the pit for three songs, but I must say it was definitely well worth the fight making my way to the pit. I came to the show not being a huge fan of the band, just because they weren’t really part of my generation. However, with that said, leaving the show I definitely understand why the line to get in went for a mile down Red River Street. I was highly impressed by R.E.M.’s performance and definitely hope to one day see them perform again!
For more from R.E.M., check out their answers to our “5X5 @ SXSW.” Keep checking in with You R Here for more South by Southwest coverage throughout the festival, plus there’s plenty more over on our sister blog, MTV News’ Newsroom.
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March 13th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I was at the REM gig at SXSW and can only be amazed by how sloppily this is written. There is hardly a single accurate fact in this. Stipes came on stage last, not first, didn’t throw his hat into the crowd but towards the back of the stage, he didn’t greet the crowd with “Hello my kids of Austin” but with “Children of SXSW, come to me”. Stubb’s couldn’t have been more different from the Staples Center, there was no impatience nor rising emotions when they didn’t come on stage for 15 minutes. Not that any of these things really matter but then again: why write an article like this if you don’t care about the details. If it weren’t for the photograph I’d be pretty sure that Mr. Aaron Pinkston wasn’t at the gig…