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R.E.M.:Live 1983:
Live at The Ritz, New York City, New York, April 30, 1983
Sound: Very good audience
Time: Approx. 90 Minutes
Set List:
Moral Kiosk, Catapult, Sitting Still, Pilgrimage, Talk About the Passion, Laughing, Wolves,Lower, 7 Chinese Bros., Romance, Just a Touch, Gardening at Night, 9-9, Windout, 1,000,000, West Of the Fields, Radio Free Europe, Perfect Circle, Ages of You, There She Goes Again, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars), Unknown Song, Skank
Comments: A very good and lively show from the first tour in support of an LP. They play all but one song off Murmur and all but one off of Chronic Town and they all sound great! Perfect Circle sounds very different with the drum machine backing but it works! The ending has a great version of Ages of You and a cool jam leading into Skank. The sound is very good too, and this show definitely shows the rockier and punkier sides of the band in the early days.
Live at Larry's Hideaway, Toronto, Canada, July 9, 1983
Sound: Excellent soundboard
Time: Approx. 90 Minutes
Set List:
Wolves,Lower, Moral Kiosk, Laughing, Pilgrimage, Moon River, There She Goes Again, 7 Chinese Bros., Talk About the Passion, Sitting Still, Harborcoat, Catapult, Pretty Persuasion, Gardening at Night, 9-9, Just a Touch, West of the Fields, Radio Free Europe, We Walk, 1,000,000, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)
Comments: A very energetic show in front of a very vocal crowd. Michael seems very subdues and doesn't talk much to the crowd. He also is a little flat on some songs but overall is solid, and the band is very powerful in its delivery. I like this one a lot.
Live at Paradise Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts, July 13, 1983
Sound: Excellent soundboard? /audience?
Time: Approx. 90 Minutes
Set List:
Gardening at Night, 9-9, Moral Kiosk, Laughing, Pilgrimage, 7 Chinese Bros., Talk About the Passion, Wolves,Lower, Harborcoat, Sitting Still, Pretty Persuasion, Catapult, Just a Touch, West of the Fields, Radio Free Europe, White Tornado, Ages of You, We Walk, 1,000,000, California Dreamin', Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)
Comments: A great show in front of a boisterous crowd. The sound is so good I suspect it is a soundboard but there is a nice audience atmosphere so that's why I am not sure. The songs are really ripped through, and Mike in particular plays some very aggressive and twangy bass. His tone and playing are just awesome and the band rocks throughout. Michael teases the crowd with some cryptic announcements, including several mentions of the Mamas and the Papas before they actually cover a song. Killer show. One of my faves.
Live at the Mad Hatter, Athens, Georgia, September 30, 1983
Sound: Excellent soundboard
Time: Approx. 90 Minutes
Set List:
Rave On, 20th Century Boy, 7 Chinese Bros., Crazy, That Beat, (Don't Go Back To) Rockville, Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars), I Got You Babe, Second Guessing, Harborcoat, Pretty Persuasion, Pills, 1,000,000, Talk About the Passion, Camera, Little America, All the Right Friends, Letter Never Sent, Just a Touch, Secret Agent Man, Hootenanny, Route 66, Windout, 9-9, 6 Stock Answers to 74,000 Questions, My Roof,Your Roof, Pale Blue Eyes, Talented Obligation, Sweet Jane
Comments: The first hour or so of this show is really strong, even though it seems as though Michael is having some voice problems. After Just a Touch and a neat Secret Agent Man cover, they embark on some truly awful covers of a fellow Athens band who Michael mentions. The show ends with a really good and fun cover of Sweet Jane. The concert as a whole is good, although very very sloppy, as evidenced in half of Carnival of Sorts not even being sung and the band having to completely restart 9-9.
Live at the Peppermint Lounge, New York City, New York, October 31, 1983
Sound: Very good/Excellent soundboard
Time: Approx. 45 Minutes
Set List:
20th Century Boy, I Can't Control Myself, Crazy, Pale Blue Eyes, So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star, Femme Fatale, Secret Agent Man, Burning Hell, Pills, D.O.A., I Can Only Give You Everything
Comments: This entire show, with the exception of Burning Hell, was all covers, and REM was billed as It Crawled From the South, supporting The Cramps. This is a very fun and rocking show, and sounds very good in this recording. 20th Century Boy is great and Crazy is a harder version than usual. Some of the covers don't sound rehearsed, giving them a brash and fresh feel. A very fun show!
