Customer Reviews

Perfect Square

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you love R.E.M., this will become an addiction. Words can not explain, but I had to say something.

Seems like there are two kinds of REM concerts: those when they're on fire and awesome, and those where Stipe doesn't want to be there and the whole thing blows. I was lucky to see the latter type of concert during the Monster tour, and this DVD is along the same lines in terms of quality.

When you're one of the greatest bands in rock and pop history, you're spoiled for choice in terms of what to play, and the list here is pretty good. To see these fortysomething guys tearing through the relatively obscure and punky as hell "Permanent Vacation" is enought to put a big dumb grin on your face. Of course they do the obligatory "Country Feedback" (even though it's not the best live version of this song that I've seen them do) and "Losing My Religion" (which is great). "Walk Unafraid" is awesome here, with real balls. And of course the inevitable set-closer of "End of the world" is terrific as the band just let it all out.

Complaints? Not many. It's just my personal belief that they should retire "Man on the moon" because it is such an average song for such a great band, but besides that it is hard to pick holes in this.

The documentary "A Stirling Performance" is also a welcome addition, especially as it will give American viewers a real headache working out what is being said :-)

Great stuff.

I watched it 3 nights in a row already, can't get enough of it! REM is awesome!

This DVD is a fantastic concert from R.E.M. and I recommend it to absouletly anyone, especially the fans! It has a good (and interesting) mixture of songs that would please absolutely anybody!

It kicks off with the hard hitting Begin The Begin, which is a great, and rarely heard song. Others like Permanent Vacation, Maps And Legends, and She Just Wants To Be are all seldom heard greats. They sound so good live!

It has all the classics you want to hear, like Man On The Moon, Imitation Of Life, End Of The World, Country Feedback and Everybody Hurts, all beautifully well done. Surprises came in the form of the quality of the performances of Daysleeper and Orange Crush. Both great songs, but they sound WAY better live!

And the band are all great on stage! Dancing and jumping around, it looks like they're having the time of their life... and why wouldn't they? They're one of the biggest bands in the world, with thousands of fans to cheer them on!

The additional documentary is interesting as well, and provides a good distraction after you watch the concert a thousand times, like I did! This DVD is great, all music fans should definatly pick this up.

This DVD reminded me why I was an REM fan in the first place. Recorded in Germany in 2003, the concert features plenty of hits (Man on the Moon, One I Love), some obscurities (Begin the Begin, Maps & Legends) and some recent songs I hadn't paid enough attention to (Electrolite and Imitation of Life, which sounds like a lost classic)
All three band members look like they're enjoying themselves, but the real focus is of course Michael Stipe. Stipe's in good spirits , interacting warmly with the crowd, and making you wonder why you stopped listening to this band. REM is a band that has been nothing but themselves for over 20 years, and this DVD shows they're still capable of rocking hard and making great new music. The disc also includes a charming documentary about REM's concerts at Stirling Castle in Scotland in 1999. Recommended.

i rented this DVD kind of on a whim, as i'm not a huge r.e.m. fan.. i saw that there were many newer songs which i know well, so i gave it a chance.. thank God i did, because this is easily one of the best concerts i've ever seen. they played all the hits and more.. in all there's about 20 songs in a row!! if you love any r.e.m. songs, you'll be pleased with their rendition here. if you're an r.e.m. fan, this is absolutely a must-own.

watching this made me laugh, made me cry, made me say "wow!", inspired me to make music myself... thanks guys. now i know that r.e.m. is truly a great band.. michael stipe's a rock star.. peter buck is an amazing guitarist.. mike mills is a great bass player and seems like such a nice guy.

if i had to say anything bad about this DVD, it's that there's nothing like a light show or cool visuals... however it doesn't count for much as the band is very interesting to watch and it's a cool view of the outside concert. i love "maps and legends" and their live version of "country feedback" is simply incredible.. but all the songs sound great. thanks R.E.M.!!!

To say that R.E.M did not have an album to promote during this tour is a little inaccurate, since they were of course promoting their "In Time" record, featuring the best of R.E.M's Warner Brothers tenure. That is not to say however that their set consists only of their most recent hits (I say recent, being the last 15 years!) including 23 songs from "Maps and Legends" right up to "Animal" and 'end-of-the-world-alike' "Bad Day".

It is fair to say that the crowd makes an R.E.M concert as much as the band, both in terms of atmosphere and to some extent enthusiasm for the more oft-played songs like "Losing My Religion". But the whole band (and especially Michael) give their all and prove that musical excellence and rock star performances are not mutually exclusive.

This tour included for the first time an online request form, so that fans could possibly have the band play their favorite song. Not surprisingly, one of the most requested songs was "Country Feedback", the best song from the "Out Of Time" album. And from this rendition you can see why. Another top request of course was "Man on the Moon", which is always played with such gusto that the uninitiated may be forgiven for thinking is the last song of the night (those of us at the Hollywood Bowl were lucky to see Tony Clifton duet with Michael, which is sadly missing from this gig). But the crescendo of course is "It's The End Of The World As We Know It..." If ever there was the perfect concert-goers finale, this is it!

This DVD is not just for those who saw the tour, or dedicated R.E.M fans (although the bonus feature of the build up to the band's Stirling Castle concerts will keep the die-hards particularly happy).

A quality performance of their best songs (not just greatest hits), well captured and well directed: this film will have even those with the vaguest interest in the band saying to themselves, "I didn't know [song title] was R.E.M..."

I know that I am just one of the thousands of people who gripe and moan about what R.E.M. has become, but this DVD is just over the top. The last thing I ever wanted to see from R.E.M. is irrelevant soloing ("That's Mr. Peter Buck on the guitar!"), Michael Stipe acting like one of the "Fab Five" on the stage (Please don't pull your shirt up to show one of your nipples ever again), and session players wearing cowboy hats, jumping up and down on stage like they're in KISS or something. The ultimate in mediocrity/ hypocrisy was Michael Stipe, hat in hand, striking a pose prior to "Man on the Moon", so the audience would know what song was next.

Additionally, what in the heck is up with the stage backdrop??? Uh, I know who I'm watching. You don't have to put it in writing three times (One is 30 feet tall, no less), and I don't need to see super-size pictures of your faces on stage. How is this any different from KISS or Aerosmith putting their name in lights behind them every time they play? What ever happened to R.E.M. showing video that amounted to art on a screen behind them? What was wrong with that? Why do I have to see the word "LUV" in neon? Why is there no drama or mystery associated with the performance any more? Everyone was lit up like a Christmas tree the entire time. I felt like I was watching someone perform at a casino.

The only reason I gave this DVD any stars was the musicianship on some songs. "Orange Crush" has never sounded better live. The fact that they included "Maps and Legends" was surprising, to say the least. I guess the good days are gone for good. Bill Berry must be sitting back, thinking "Thank God I got out while the getting was good".

If you could only own one concert film, this should be it.
The editing alone is amazing. Then, of course, there is the music. Get it, you will not be sorry.

THis is the best live concert of R>E>M>