Reply #6: Just back from the Oct. 2 show in Cleveland [View All]

[TakeBackUSA]

An amazing show - REM, Bruce, and John Fogerty!!!

Outside before the show you had a nice "progressive" atmosphere. Alot of people wearing Kerry gear. My favorite saying on a girl's shirt was -"I want to change my clothes, my hair, my face ....and my President!" There were the "Billionaires for Bush", about 8 people dressed in their tuxes, minks and other formalwear, and their sign "No Billionaire Left Behind". I only saw 2 pro Bush people carrying signs saying something vaguely anti-hollywood.

Bruce & Michael Stipe came out to talk first, actually (not many were expecting that - the arena was not even half full yet). They talked about the night being historic and that the associated musicians formed to bring about a "more progressive, humane government". Bruce called for the night to be BROOOCCCEEE-free, no chanting BBRROOCCEE or he'd come & get you. Was this a problem in Philly for the opening acts?

They introduced "Bright Eyes", whose lead singer was a cross between a young Springsteen and Kurt Cobain. He played about 5-6 folksy-grunge sounding songs. He spoke a bit before his last song on the honor it was to play the show with Bruce & REM. His last comments were good - he said that in order to have a self-sustaining country, you can't have a f*'ing idiot running it. He also said a vote for * was like shitting in your own bed. Damn, those musicians know how to boil it down into a simple saying.

Between acts they played interviews of the musicians on the screen talking about the event. I liked Bruce's comment the best. He said "if you brought your country to war, and found out the reason for going to war was wrong, you should lose your job - plain and simple. It's not rocket science".

REM was great. Michael Stipe came out in an all white suit, which made a good visual, but later he said made him "feel like Neil Diamond". They opened with "This song goes out to the one I love", then "Animal". Michael Stipe really plays the crowd well & the crowd was into it, but up in the rear nosebleeds where I was there were alot of Bruce fans who were obvoiusly there for Bruce, not REM. REM played their new "New York" song - it was real good- and then 3 newer songs which were great but had the crowd more low key. Then they played a fantastic rendition of "Imitation of Life" that started to get the crown really going. For the next song Bruce came out to play with REM on "Bad Day" -and the place went wild! With Bruce still playing with them they closed with "Man on the Moon" - this may have been the best song performance I've seen at a concert. I heard someone behind me say "I didn't know much about REM before, but I'm a fan now". No encore after the performers left, they turned the house lights up right away. I was disappointed at that - I wanted to hear about ten other REM songs. But they had to move the night along, I guess.

After the break Bruce & the band came out. While I've got to say I wasn't a rabid Springsteen fan going in, but I see where He and the band get their reputation as great performers! Bruce came out and played on guitar alone a folksey Springsteen-like style that after a while you realized was "The Star Spangled Banner". WOW - That was impressive! He went right into "Born in The USA", which had everyone up and going wild. And he went straight into "Badlands", which racheted up the crowd even more! Again he went straight into "No Surrender", a personnal favorite of mine since they played it at the DNC after Kerry's speech (but it seemed not a favorite of most of the hardcore fans, who took this chance to sit back down). Bruce didn't stop to talk till after 4 or 5 songs. Several songs later( "Glory Days","The River",etc.) John Fogerty came on stage with Springsteen & the band and played "Centerfield" (big crowd reaction -wow), his new "Deja-Vu" (so-so), and "Fortunate Son"(big reaction). More songs by Bruce, Michael Stipe came out and sang "Because the Night" w/ the band.

Bruce is a great performer - I know I've always heard that, but besides all the energy he puts into it, he really gets his songs to ebb and flow and raise to a pitch that gets the crowd going bananas. Also gets good emphasis in turn on all the band members sound, each one standing out at different times.

They closed with "Thunder Road" -which evidently was what the hardcore Bruce fans were waiting for by the absolute pandamonium in the building. The band left, and were called back for an encore of "What's so funny about Peace, Love & Understanding" with everyone on stage - all of REM, John Fogerty, & Bright Eyes. Cool visuals with this - Michael Stipe took off his white blazer to show his shirt that had "Kerry" written on it, and showed it to the people on the side, rear, other side and front, with people cheering! Then came a song that's chorus was "People have the Power". At that they bowed to thunderous applause and left.

It was a fantastic show, and after going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the afternoon, it was especially inspiring. Politics and Rock and Roll are a natural mix, one of the musicians said on a film my wife and I saw at the Rock Hall that afternoon. The concert that night proved how true that statement was.