...and just another bearded old guy in a beanie wandering onto the stage, just as you're coming to the end of your set.
Except, when you're Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and band, performing the songs of R.E.M., and the bearded old guy in a beanie is Michael Stipe, it's going to be a rather special night.
If you were an audience member at Brooklyn Steel in New York on Saturday (7th), this is exactly what happened.
Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy are currently touring Life's Rich Pageant on its 40th anniversary, and Michael performed a reprise of These Days (track 2, side 1) followed by The Great Beyond, one of R.E.M.'s last great singles of the 20th Century.
The band, sans Stipe, subsequently returned to the stage to play six (count 'em) songs for the encore, but honestly, how do you follow that?!
To quote from another R.E.M. song, "take comfort in your friends".
And we all have a friend in Michael Stipe.
Enjoying watching all the clips of this that surfaced yesterday. He's in fine voice still.
ReplyDeleteAnd still an electrifying performer even in those all too brief moments.
DeleteHeartwarming stuff
ReplyDeleteI had a big smile on my face pretty much all the way to work. Work then wiped it off but hey, what a start to the day!
DeleteThis out today too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PxkldueTws
ReplyDeleteI haven’t heard of this, thanks for sharing. So good to hear him again.
DeleteAdam said it right, heartwarming stuff.
ReplyDeleteAnother of those bizarre things that seem to crop up across our wee blogging community.
ReplyDeleteYou referred just 24 hours earlier to Last Night From Glasgow. As it so happens, the label boss, Ian Smith, along with his wife and son, was at that very gig in NYC. Judging by what he then posted on social media, it's fair to say his mind was blown by the appearance of Mr Stipe would be putting it mildly.
Wow, how special was that!
ReplyDelete