bradley's almanac - a boston-based music blog

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sunday, march 14th

a special screening of the

white stripes tour documentary

"under the great white northern lights"

free admission / prize pack drawing

10pm @ the otherside cafe

sunday, march 14th

carbon leaf

@ the paradise

monday, march 15th

one happy island

standard fare

summer cats

@ great scott

monday, march 15th

letting up despite great faults

the brother kite

plumerai

singing bridges

@ the middle east upstairs

tuesday, march 16th

bacchus king

croquet

cathy cathodic

the ugly fucklings

@ the middle east upstairs

wednesday, march 17th

joanna newsom

@ the sanders theatre, harvard

wednesday, march 17th

henry rollins (spoken word)

@ the somerville theatre

thursday, march 18th

apollo sunshine

drug rug

@ the paradise

friday, march 19th

i, pistol

mascara

planetoid

forgetful jones

@ tt the bears

saturday, march 20th

the whitehaus family blastfest

needy visions, manners,

morgan shaker, avi jacob,

and many more

@ cambridge ymca theatre

saturday, march 20th

air

@ berklee performance center

sunday, march 21st

the clientele

field music

@ great scott

wednesday, march 24th

extraneous noise presents...

golden spurs

spirit kid

some say fire

the novel ideas

@ the middle east upstairs

thursday, march 25th

"thursday night alright!" with

the beatings

aloud

action camp

hello ninja

@ great scott

thursday, march 25th

the donnas

@ the paradise

friday, march 26th

eldridge rodriguez (the beatings)

ryan lee crosby

ted billings (age rings/hot protestants)

@ the somerville armory

friday, march 26th

basia bulat

marissa nadler

lady lamb the beekeeper

@ tt the bears

saturday, march 27th

your say party! we say die!

the new collisions

static of the gods (cd release)

@ tt the bears

saturday, march 27th

the big pink

a place to bury strangers

magic magic

@ the paradise

saturday, march 27th

spoon

deerhunter

@ the house of blues

sunday, march 28th

beach house

bachelorette

@ the paradise

monday, march 29th

the soft pack

nodzzz

beaters

@ great scott

tuesday, march 30th

shearwater

wye oak

hospital ships

@ tt the bears

tuesday, march 30th

manchester orchestra

the features

biffy clyro

o'brother

@ the paradise

wednesday, march 31st

japandroids

love is all

girlfriends

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, march 31st

miike snow

delorean

@ the paradise

wednesday, march 31st

a sunny day in glasgow

pants yell!

bearstronaut

@ great scott

thursday, april 1st

girls

dum dum girls

@ the paradise

friday, april 2nd

the xx

jj (late show only)

two shows @ the paradise

friday, april 2nd

drive-by truckers

lucero

langhorne slim

@ the house of blues

saturday, april 3rd

cassavettes

the grownup noise

kingsley flood (cd release)

spouse

@ the middle east upstairs

saturday, april 3rd

black rebel motorcycle club

alberta cross

@ the house of blues

saturday, april 3rd

nada surf

dawn landes & the hounds

@ the paradise

sunday, april 4th

serena maneesh

depreciation guild

black fortress of opium

@ tt the bears

tuesday, april 6th

wilco

@ the orpheum

tuesday, april 6th

ben fold & a piano

kate miller-heidke

@ the house of blues

wednesday, april 7th

florence & the machine

@ the paradise

wednesday, april 7th

rocky votolato

brooke waggoner

@ great scott

thursday, april 8th

faces on film

hands & knees

st. claire (cd release!)

mr. sister

@ tt the bears

thursday, april 8th

thom yorke + atoms for peace

flying lotus

@ the citi/wang theatre

friday, april 9th

midlake

@ the paradise

saturday, april 10th

xiu xiu

tune-yards

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, april 10th

ted leo & the pharmacists

obits

screaming females

@ the paradise

saturday, april 10th

pissed jeans

confines

sqrm

@ great scott

sunday, april 11th

fanfarlo

lawrence arabia

robert francis

@ the paradise

monday, april 12th

the wedding present

play their 1989 lp 'bizarro'

with openers girl in a coma

@ the middle east downstairs

monday, april 12th

titus andronicus

the babies

@ great scott

thursday, april 15th

jakob dylan with guests

neko case + kelly hogan

@ the wilbur theatre

thursday, april 15th

red sparowes

doomriders

@ the middle east downstairs

friday, april 16th

guillermo sexo

freddie t and the people

(ex-june of 44 / hoover)

travels

ghost box orchestra

@ pa's lounge

friday, april 16th

have nots (vinyl release!)

the appreciation post

razors in the night

wicked whiskey

the swaggerin growlers

@ tt the bears

saturday, april 17th

kaki king

an horse

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, april 17th

the morning benders

miniature tigers

@ tt the bears

sunday, april 18th

heavy trash (w/jon spencer)

the konks

the cobra-matics

@ tt the bears

sunday, april 18th

the thermals

past lives

@ the middle east downstairs

monday, april 19th

trans am

@ the middle east downstairs

tuesday, april 20th

owen pallett (aka final fantasy)

@ the ica boston

tuesday, april 20th

elvis costello & the sugarcanes

@ the orpheum

tuesday, april 20th

the low anthem

timber timbre

@ the paradise

tuesday, april 20th

quasi

let's wrestle

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, april 21st

the church

special 30th anniversary

acoustic career retrospective

@ the somerville armory

wednesday, april 21st through

wednesday, april 28th

the 8th annual independent

film festival of boston

@ various boston area theatres

including the somerville + brattle

thursday, april 22nd

the mary onettes

@ great scott

saturday, april 24th

graham parker with

the figgs

@ johnny d's, somerville

saturday, april 24th

los campesinos!

here we go magic

@ the paradise

sunday, april 25th

harlem

@ the great scott

monday, april 26th

echo + the bunneymen

hatcham social

@ the paradise

wednesday, april 28th

gogol bordello

devotchka

jesse malin

st. mark's social

@ the house of blues

thursday, april 29th

frightened rabbit

@ the paradise

friday, april 30th

the everyday visuals

the lights out

the flying machines

aloud

@ tt the bears

friday, april 30th

corinne bailey ray

@ the house of blues

friday, april 30th

the album leaf

sea wolf

@ the paradise

wednesday, april 28th

little boots

dragonette

fan death

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, may 1st

white rabbits

here we go magic

@ the paradise

monday, may 3rd

yeasayer

sleigh bells

@ the paradise

tuesday, may 4th

gregory & the hawk

lady lamb the beekeeper

@ tt the bears

tuesday & wednesday

may 4th & 5th

public image ltd.

@ the royale (formerly the roxy)

wednesday & thursday

may 5th & 6th

jonsi (from sigur ros)

@ the house of blues

thursday, may 6th

shout out louds

@ the paradise

friday, may 7th

ok go

earl greyhound

robert francis

@ the paradise

saturday, may 8th

local natives

@ great scott

tuesday & wednesday

may 11th & 12th

dr. dog

deer tick

@ the paradise

thursday, may 13th

small brown bike

bridge and tunnel

your skull my closet

wallcreeper

@ great scott

saturday, may 22nd

killing joke

@ the paradise

tuesday, may 18th

spectrum (featuring sonic boom

from spacemen 3 + e.a.r.)

with the broken river prophet

@ the middle east upstairs

tuesday, may 25th

the smittens

allo darlin'

one happy island

hearts!attack

a smile and a ribbon

horowitz

@ the lizard lounge

wednesday, may 26th

reverend horton heat

cracker

miss derringer

@ the house of blues

friday, may 28th

mono

the twilight sad

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, june 2nd

kings of convenience

franklin for short

@ the paradise

wednesday, june 2nd

ryan bingham & the dead horses

@ tt the bears

wednesday & thursday

june 2nd & 3rd

the national

@ the house of blues

friday, june 4th

brian jonestown massacre

@ the paradise

friday, june 18th

reigning sound

movers & shakers

triplethick

@ tt the bears

saturday, june 19th

james taylor

carole king

@ the garden

sunday + monday

june 20th + 21st

isis

melvins

totimoshi

@ the paradise

thursday + saturday

august 19th + 21st

tom petty + the heartbreakers

my morning jacket

@ the comcast center

visit tourfilter for more shows

It all comes back to The Big Four: The Cure, U2, R.E.M., and The Smiths. Sure, some lesser-known (and arguably more interesting) bands rounded out my teenage top ten, but as a Vermont high schooler in the late 80s, that was the quartet that truly helped shape my musical tastes. While the break-up of The Smiths set their legacy in stone, time and the ongoing musical output of the other three would wear away at my appreciation for each: First, U2 shook me loose after "Rattle & Hum", R.E.M.'s "Monster" scared me away, and the departure of Boris and The Cure's "Wild Mood Swings" left me cold. There were too many other bands demanding my attention for me to dig very hard for diamonds in their subsequent albums, although in the years since I've found a few.

Through a strange confluence of releases and events, the first half of 2008 has me thinking about The Big Four in a big way: Earlier this year I caught, and was surprisingly impressed by, U2's 3D IMAX concert film. Still couldn't warm me to their post-1990 output, but as an overall experience, it was a technological thrill. Two months later and I'm at a mind-blowing, 3-hour Cure show, loving the band as much as I ever did. That's two down. And a few days ago I find myself standing 10 rows from R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as they run through a couple songs that played major parts in my high school soundtrack. And that's all four bands accounted for, 20-some odd years after each first won me over.

Before I get to the live Mp3s, here are some bullet-listed personal highlights and notes from Friday night's R.E.M. show, with openers The National and Modest Mouse (which explains Johnny Marr's presence) at Great Woods in Mansfield, MA. And yes, while it's technically now called the Comcast Center, and before that the Tweeter Center, it'll always be Great Woods to me. Corporate synergy be damned...

While "Accelerate" is surely R.E.M.'s most guitar-centric album in ages, it's still only a "return to form" if you think that form was solidified in 1986 with "Life's Rich Pageant" (Frank articulates that notion better here). The new songs held up very well alongside their 22-year old counterparts, as evidenced by set-starter "Living Well's The Best Revenge" heading into "Begin The Begin". That "LRP" opener still gets me going, because it usually means I have that whole album ahead to listen to. Glad we got another taste of it later in the set with "Cuyahoga".

Stipe dedicated "Cuyahoga", and specifically the first couple lines, to Barack Obama: "Let's put our heads together, and start a new country up". Erasing the parts we don't like sounds like a fine idea.

Even though I'd seen REM a bunch of times in the late-80s/early-90s, I'd never caught site of Peter Buck's traveling collection of on-stage dinosaur figures. Apparently his prehistoric mascots have been appearing atop his amps on-stage for ages, but only now was I close enough to notice. How'd you like to have "R.E.M. Dinosaur Wrangler" on your roadie resume?

The entire band, including drummer Bill Rieflin on a guitar, gathered around Peter Buck at the piano for an excellent acoustic rendition of 1996's "Let Me In". Actually made me think I might want to revisit "Monster" again.

After his years of work with Ministry, Pigface, and RevCo (all acts that were major parts of my own personal Industrial Revolution), I still find it slightly incongruous to type the phrase "R.E.M. drummer Bill Rieflin". And knowing that he and guitarist Scott McCaughey are "unofficial" members of the band (neither appear in official promo photos), it still strikes me as odd that they sell t-shirts displaying "Mike, Michael, and Peter" in huge text. Rieflin and McCaughey seem to be far more than just hired guns at this point, but hey, it's probably more as a tribute to drummer Bill Berry's absence than a slight to their contributions, right?

As Mike Mills donned his cowboy hat and took center stage to sing lead on "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville", he explained that his voice was a little ragged after spending the previous night screaming at the first of the two Mission of Burma shows at the Paradise: "They were maybe the best and the loudest band I've ever seen." Hearing him say that was a cool little moment for me, as R.E.M. was the reason I first got into Burma during the late-80s when they were covering "Academy Fight Song" on the Green tour. When I saw the R.E.M. tour schedule, and noticed they had a night off before the Mansfield show, I thought "I wonder if they know about those Burma shows, because they'd probably want to go". And whaddya know, Mills did. As Colbert says: I called it.

I wasn't even 100% sure that Johnny Marr was still on tour with Modest Mouse, until I'd read earlier that day that he'd joined R.E.M. on stage during the encore of the previous show to add his Rickenbacker to "Fall On Me". Fingers were obviously crossed that he'd do it again, and when he did, but kept his guitar on after the song was over, I knew we were in for something extra. Once Stipe said "We've got one more song", and the negative crowd response essentially forced him to up that to two more songs, we got a treat: An impromptu and Marr-enhanced "Pretty Persuasion", which he'd never rehearsed. Loved watching Buck guide him through the chord changes. Marr remained on guitar for another song he'd actually practiced, show closer "Man on the Moon".

I was never one of those fans who wondered or cared much about Stipe's sexual proclivities, but I'm pretty sure he's been out of the closet for a very long time (despite what some recent articles claimed). Still, I'll admit it's been cool to see him become more forthright about it recently. In Mansfield he introduced "Pretty Persuasion" with a simple "This is a beautiful song about growing up queer in the 1980s...". Had Stipe written a song about that same struggle today, the subject matter would surely be easier to discern... his ultra-obtuse phase has certainly long-since passed.

Sneak peeks at previous tour setlists clued me in to the fact that "Man On The Moon" would probably be the night-ender, and as I've never quite liked that song, I used the opportunity to make an early exit and avoid the post-show clusterf*ck that the Great Woods parking lot becomes. Still, I was nervous they'd kick into something special as I made my quick getaway. And I know what some of you are thinking: "You tape shows, and left early? What kind of completest are you?". Have no fear, my back was covered, and I wouldn't have left otherwise...

I owe much gratitude to longtime 'Nac reader and fellow taper Todd, who not only offered me that amazing fan-club acquired 10th-row seat, but has provided the Mp3 of "Man On The Moon" below (and if you think that one song sounds better than all the rest, hey, keep it to yourself ;)). He wrote his own extensive review of the show, including his thoughts on the National and Modest Mouse. The mix in our spots was pretty much perfect, and I'm looking forward to sharing up those other two sets as well. But considering I just saw 10 bands over a four-day stretch, they could be a little while longer in coming...

R.E.M.

Live at Great Woods
in Mansfield, MA
on Friday, June 13th, 2008

01. Living Well's the Best Revenge
02. Begin the Begin
03. What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
04. Circus Envy
05. Man-Sized Wreath
06. banter 1
07. West Of The Fields
08. Ignoreland
09. Departure
10. Cuyahoga
11. Hollow Man
12. Driver 8
13. banter 2
14. Houston
15. Electrolite
16. Maps and Legends
17. Horse To Water
18. The One I Love
19. I've Been High
20. Let Me In (acoustic)
21. Bad Day
22. Get Up
23. Orange Crush
24. I'm Gonna DJ

encore...
25. Supernatural Superserious
26. Losing My Religion
27. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville
28. Fall on Me (with Johnny Marr)
29. banter 3
30. Pretty Persuasion (with Johnny Marr)
31. Man on the Moon (with Johnny Marr)

Some R.E.M. links...

Their official site, MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, and Imeem page.

For each show on the current tour, R.E.M. has a very cool page set up that gathers together custom-tagged YouTube, Flickr, and Twitter fan content. So very Web 2.0 of them. Here's the page for the Mansfield show.

Jerad from Drive Blind was at the show as well, and shares his thoughts here.

Additional Audio: Along with songs on the MySpace page linked above, you can stream all of the "Accelerate" album here. The band played SxSW earlier this year, and NPR broadcasted the show, which you can listen to here. That performance was for the Austin City Limits program, and the video should appear on the show later this year. Fansite myREM.com has a forum thread that helps fans find non-commercial audio offerings.

Video: The band has released two videos from "Accelerate": One for "Supernatural Superserious" and another for "Hollow Man". A special site has been created by director Vincent Moon for the "Supernatural Superserious" video where you can put together your own version from different clips. For way more R.E.M. videos than you have time to watch, run an R.E.M. YouTube search, or head to the R.E.M. HQTV site.

Photos: My many Flickr-hosted shots are here. Check out the full R.E.M. Flickr tag search. R.E.M. fan Tam has some excellent photos here as well. The REM Cover Studio site is a great resource for custom-designed artwork for any fan-made recordings, and it looks like they might use some of my shots for the Mansfield boot. Very, very cool. Naturally, the band supports any not-for-profit trading of their live shows.

Upcoming tourdates: Only three shows left on their North American tour...
Wednesday, June 18th @ the Mann Center in Philadelphia
Thursday, June 19th at Madison Square Garden in NYC
Saturday, June 21st at Lakewood Amphitheater in Atlanta
Dates for their upcoming European tour (also with excellent openers, including Editors and Elbow) can be found here.

Easily stream any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc (except for track #31 above), converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed. (#remtweet)

Labels: livemp3s

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