R.E.M.R.E.H.E.A.R.S.A.L.

R.E.M. have done something I have always wanted to see a band do - rehearse. A few lucky fans have been able to watch them do this in Ireland where the band is having an open rehearsal for their new material. I think this is really cool. According to Spin,

Stressing this was not a conventional concert, Stipe, wearing an off-white suit-jacket and sneakers, informed the sold-out crowd it was getting to witness R.E.M.'s creative process first hand. Just so nobody was under any illusions, a neon back projection spelled it out: This is Not a Show.

R.E.M. is one of my favorite groups and I look forward to hearing what they've got in store for us next. Apparently, it's heavier and guitar oriented. It makes me wonder when that instrument starts to get old for musicians. I mean, I don't hate the guitar and I don't think anyone should stop using it if that's how they want to write songs, but I just wonder if they ever want to just drop it and try something else.

Not to say that R.E.M. hasn't tried different sounds in the past. It's just that I don't know how successful they were at making them coherent enough to be good songs (what the hell happened with UP! you guys?). So I guess the longer they decide to play loudly on their guitars, the better.

So now I'm going to show you a little video I found a while back on Youtube of R.E.M. performing for the first time on Letterman. This might even be their first television performance, actually. In any case, it's inspiring. Just look at them in this video and then imagine them travelling the proverbial road to stardom - getting to the point where people travel across the globe to watch them rehearse. Damn.