R.E.M.

Yes I know I should be studying for my Stats exam tomorrow, but I just wanted to write a little report on the REM concert last night. Jack took some pics with his phone, but in the meantime I found this one on the net where Michael Stipe still has hair - amazing! :) He's actually born in the same year as Jeremy Clarkson, the guy who runs Top Gear (yes we've been watching too much of that lately).... I just find it funny that one has a gut and the other one jumps on stage like a maniac.

The concert took place in Waldbühne, which literally translates to "a stage in the forrest"... it's a big amphitheater next to the Olympiastadion... some older pics here. Not sure how many it sits, but looked like around 10000... and it was packed. It was actually a really nice venue... the old stone stairs you walk down on have such an amazing feel to them... and although the venue was HUGE, it was also somehow cozy... makes sense?

Sadly it was raining all of yesterday and when we got to the venue just before 19:00 (the support act was only starting at 20:00) it started bucketing down. When we got there it was still fairly empty, so we got some really good seats... except that they were wet. But we took out a plastic bag, put it on the seat and sat around with umbrellas for an hour before the support act started. This was The Editors, which were decent, and actually got us into the mood for some good music.

After they've played the roadies went on stage and basically mopped and cleaned to try and make the stage not as slippery... the light guys who sit at the very top of the stage had to perform some interesting acrobatics to try and get into their seats, as they were all covered in plastic to stop the rain from getting onto the equipment.

As the concert began the rain has actually stopped and we saw some beautiful blue sky with red clouds from the sunset. Michael Stipe also changed his shoes during the concert, 'cos he came on in trainers to try and not slip, but said that he "felt like an idiot", so got someone to bring his boots and we saw him change his socks and shoes on the big projection screens at the back of the stage... funny.

The concert was good. I'm not sure whether this was a better or worse show than what we saw in Melbourne in Rod Laver, it just had a different feel to it. I actually love REM concerts because you get to be surrounded by a much older crowd who just boogie like crazy. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside - that when I get older I can still boogie and don't just have to sit around at home and eat mothballs!

I think this week has been somehow emotional for me and I even shed a tear during the 'Great Beyond'. Dunno, sometimes you just get a right song in the right moment that just hits home... it was the perfect song for how I'm feeling right now - and I could relate to every single lyric. Anyhoo... that's that from me and now back to Einfaktorielle Varianzanalyse Ohne Messwiederholung!