First of all, this was one of the greatest concerts I’ve ever seen. From start to finish it was high energy non-stop rock and roll. Add in to the facts that it was for a cause I believed in, and it just made for a perfect night.
// Michael Stipe and Bruce Springsteen came onstage (30 minutes late) to introduce the night and Bright Eyes, a band that Bruce said he was floored when he heard their music.
// Bright Eyes totally redeemed themselves to me. The last time I saw them in Columbus, it was one of the worst shows I’d ever seen. Last night Connor totally had his shit together and it showed. His set was probably the most extremely politically charged, as he called Bush an idiot and said that “Voting for Bush is like shitting in your own bed.”
I give the band a lot of credit (even REM, to an extent). The crowd was mostly Springsteen fans, and these are people who are used to seeing only one band because Bruce shows typically have no openers. The people in our area were mostly respectful, and I think by the end of the set Bright Eyes had won a few new fans.
// R.E.M. came out of the gate swinging with “The One I Love.” The crowd went nuts. Michael Stipe seemed nervous (drunk?) most of his set, rambling a lot. I enjoyed it, but I could see it annoying people.
I was surprised about the amount of new songs the band played, but since I won’t be seeing them on their upcoming tour I was glad to hear them. The new material sounded good…
[to be continued]