Re: R.E.M. Appreciation Thread
This band... I'm suddenly REALLLY appreciating how incredible the year 2008 was, because I saw what turned out to be REM's last hometown show in Atlanta (they didn't play Athens on the tour)... I saw what turned out to be my last DMB show to date (but hopefully I'll stop messing around and see them the next time they tour, I think I'm finally re-energized enough to do that). And I saw one of the best Pearl Jam shows (maybe in top 15 of the PJ shows I've seen) in Hartford in 2008. Plus many other great shows.
Still crazy devastating that Roi was already in the hospital at that Atlanta DMB show and all that happened soon after that, so that is heartbreak of that year, but overall what a special year for live shows in my little world.
And in 2017 I went to the 30th anniversary of U2's the Joshua Tree show in Washington DC at a stadium. I was standing on the floor but at the foot of the elevated VIP stand, and was dancing up a storm to a song and looked up and saw an older guy (only a bit older than me probably), in an unlabled baseball cap, just dancing up a storm himself. Then I did a double take, waved at him until he came over, and said "Is your name Bertis?" It was REM manager Bertis Downs! I said "You probably don't remember me..." and he interrupted and said "What's your name?" I told him my real 1st name (which isn't Grace) and he finished before I said my last name HE said it, and then without missing a beat he said "We met you the year Joshua Tree came out" which was '87, which was exactly right! I couldn't believe he remembered that level of detail... that's what great managers do I guess! Lukin that was the year of that Document Radio City show...
We couldn't talk much because we were on different levels and U2 was playing, but it was so cool to see him! And earlier that same year 2017 the Peter Buck story I just posted... Crazy world!
|