Stew Review
 by Leeming

    It was a hot, muggy Texas night on August 17 in San Antonio.  Rain clouds were threatening, the wind was picking up, and a ten ounce beer cost four bucks.  A perfect night for a concert.

    It started with Mercury Rev at 7:00, playing a rather subdued but well-done set.  Alt-country band Wilco followed, warming up to the throng of loyal listeners and finishing with much more elan than which they started.  Highlights were "Misunderstood" and, my own personal favorite, the "E-bow the Letter" sounding "She's A Jar".

    Shortly after 9:00, the opening bars of "Suspicion" from R.E.M.'s latest album "Up" could be heard throughout the open pasture that makes up the Retama Park Polo Grounds.  Then the band launched into an energetic rendition of "Lotus".  While singing the line "Let it rain", Michael Stipe seemed to be daring Mother Nature to break open the clouds and drop a deluge.  Alas, that never happened.  I, for one, would have welcomed it, as by now the winds had died down and the temperature was at its August best.

    The band then tore into "The Wake-Up Bomb", a song that was meant to be played live and loud.  They did not disappoint.  That was followed by true-to-form versions of "So Fast, So Numb", "Electrolyte" (a personal favorite), the full playing of "Suspicion",  and the band's first major radio market hit "The One I Love".  The latter had seemingly everyone in attendance singing along.

    From that high, R.E.M. then did a very tight version of the melancholy "Daysleeper" before digging into the archives and pulling out "Pilgrimage", much to the delight of us fans who don't quite fit into the Gen-X demographic.  "The Apologist" came next, with "Sweetness Follows", "Everybody Hurts", and "The Great Beyond" hot on its heels. The last third of the set kicked off with the crowd pleasing "Losing My Religion" and the contemplative "Find the River".  Then, Beatlesque screams erupted as "At My Most
Beautiful" began, perhaps due to the R.E.M. appearance on "Beverly Hills 90210" doing said song.  Another bone was then tossed out to us older fans as the unmistakable riff that begins "Pretty Persuasion"  carried across the Texas plains.  This song was a true highlight.  "Walk Unafraid" was next which paired nicely with the closing number "Man On The Moon".  While "Moon..." was written as a tribute to the late Andy Kauffman, "Walk..." could also fit the description of this comic.  It was a fitting end, as R.E.M. had just completed the score to the movie based on Kauffman's life.  The soundtrack is due out in October.

    After a brief intermission, Michael Stipe appeared back on stage - accompanied with only an acoustic guitar.  He then bravely attempted a solo version of the keyboard-driven "Hope", from the "Up" release.  He would stop intermittently and disperse lines like "I really can't play that well" and "Is this entertaining or annoying?"  Well, it was entertaining because Stipe was clearly trying to do something different and special for his former hometown.  It was a touchingly human moment from a true performer.

    "Why Not Smile" jump-started the full band portion of the encore, only to be outdone by "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" and the eerie yet sexy "Tongue".  Another nugget from the past emerged as the band did an inspired version of "Cuyahoga".  This song was particularly fitting, as Stipe had said that when he lived in San Antonio (as an Army brat around the age of 10) the Riverwalk was nothing but a sewer. In true Stipe form, the closer was introduced by attempting a cover of Jimmie Dale Gilmore's "Dallas" until he couldn't remember the rest of the lyrics.  The line "Did you ever see Dallas from a DC-9 at night" brought out huge cheers from the Metroplex residents, including yours truly.  It was a perfect intro to a much extended version of "It's The End Of The World.."
which seemed to last for ten minutes, which was just fine to all who were there. As for the venue, it was doable.  Who cares as long as R.E.M. is playing, right?  Stipe seemed less than enthused about it, however.  "Well", he said at one point, "here we are in
the polo field", then adding "What the fuck is that?" Before the closing number, Stipe introduced all the band members then concluded by saying "We're R.E.M.  This is what we do."

Here is one person hoping they keep doing it.