Walter In Denver

R.E.M. & Wilco

I was going to write a little bit about the Sunday show, but I looked over at the official R.E.M. site and they already had an account of the show, here are some excerpts:

Red Rocks, as always, was exceptional. What a setting—many friends and family came in explaining, “I’ve never been to Red Rocks.” Everybody should--a truly magical, breathtaking place. The weekend marked Wilco’s last two shows with us, Ed Harcourt’s first. Other than the staples, completely different sets from the guys: “Sitting Still,” “Rockville,” “World Leader Pretend," “Nightswimming,” and “Pretty Persuasion” (for the first time)... The second night was thankfully warmer and highlighted by R.E.M. guesting on Wilco’s set-closer, Woody Guthrie’s “California Stars.” Then, all the Wilcos plugged in for the penultimate R.E.M. number “Country Feedback,” which, with twin guitar action (Peter and Jeff) at the break, was one of those spine-tingling moments. Very memorable… And a few days in some Denver sunshine in the fashionable LoDo district was a nice respite before the buzz through the mid-west we are now undertaking.

I have to say anyone who puts Wilco on the undercard is taking a risk - they might play better live than most any band in America. When R.E.M. came out and played with them on "California Stars" it was certainly a highlight.
The R.E.M. set was good, they're a better band than when I last saw them (gasp) 15 years ago. Their catalogue is so deep, you can never hear all the songs you'd like on a single night. Between those two bands they could stage an all-day show, and I'd never get bored.

Posted by Walter at September 17, 2003 07:02 PM