R.E.M. once swore to never make a live album. Yet on Oct. 16, R.E.M. LIVE came out as a 2 CD and 1 DVD package deal. It covers a two-day live set on Feb. 26 and 27, 2005 at The Point Depot in Dublin.
Covering classic R.E.M. hits, the band delivers a solid live performance, showcasing their artsy side, and their well-honed performance skill. With 27 years in the career bag, the U.K. band has quite an array of tricks.
Opening with an energetic rendition of “I Took Your Name”, Michael Stipe’s familiar, gritty voice loses none of its power throughout the set. Peter Buck and Mike Mills also deliver familiar R.E.M. talent, with a group of supporting musicians to round out the sound.
Directed by Blue Leach, the DVD also highlights the band’s left-of-mainstream style. With unusual, yet striking, shading and stylized coloring, and extreme angles, the cinematography is beautiful and edgy all at once – much like R.E.M.’s sound. Indeed, the imagery often reflects the action of the sound; this can be dizzying and captivating all at once.
The set contains songs covering the band’s numerous studio albums, including hard-to-find performances of: “I Took Your Name” from 1994’s Monster, and “Ascent of Man” from the band’s most recent studio album: 2004’s Around The Sun. The singles “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville,” (featuring Mike Mills on vocals) from 1984’s Reckoning, “The Great Beyond” from the Man On The Moon soundtrack, “Imitation of Life” from 2001’s Reveal, and the previously unreleased crowd-pleaser and encore rave-up “I’m Gonna DJ” also grace the track list of this compilation.
For R.E.M. fans, LIVE is being approached like an unknown object with a mixture of fear, curiosity, and amazement. One fan sardonically noted in a blog, “All of this contributes to make the creatively titled LIVE album a truly puzzling and ultimately another non-essential entry in the R.E.M. catalog.” The break from their usual approach to music production is aptly described in this state. Even Rolling Stone, in their article on the new release, questioned the sense in R.E.M.’s choice to record a live album so late in their career.
Despite the flak they have received, R.E.M. does not fail to deliver the sound and experience long-time fans have enjoyed of over two decades.