R.E.M. - Rising

(Soundboard)

09 July 1983 - Larry's Hideaway - Toronto, Canada

When I'm in the mood to hear a great early R.E.M. show -- one that best recalls the days of seeing them in a small, crowded, sweaty club, but with a setlist full of original (now classic) tunes and on the very cusp of breaking bigger -- I return again and again to this one, recorded at Larry's Hideaway in Toronto in July of 1983. It's not a perfect tape by any means. In fact -- and be warned -- there are a few brief cuts, some diginoise and other glitches here and there. But even with a flaw or two, this tape is spectacular -- a great band, at a thrilling time in their career, and on a particularly inspired night. From the chiming arpeggios pouring out of Peter's Rickenbacker, to Mike Mills' dextrous, innovative basslines, to Michael Stipe's singular baritone and oblique poeticism, the R.E.M. machine is firing here in all its early, post-punk glory. And, as I always tell people who've come to the band fairly recently, just listen to the mighty Bill Berry on this tape. He is the engine driving this train, and his rapid-fire playing on this night (as usual) is a marvel. I don't know how else to say it -- these guys were, and still are, something else. I may not have been at this particular show, but I was at countless others just like it. How freaking lucky am I?
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A very vocal crowd at this show makes this show memorable.
Audience Member: "Play something for Joe Santos!"
Stipe: "For Joe who?"
Audience Member: "Santos!"
Stipe: "Ok, this song is for Joe Santos"
Laughing is played
Later the crowd shouts out for There She Goes Again until they finally give in and play the song (prefacing it with a great Moon River). By the time the encore starts Stipe gets totally fed up with people shouting out for songs:
Audience: "Shaking Through!"
Stipe: "No no no no no no no!"
Audience: "Shaking Through!!"
Stipe: "No, no!"
Audience: "Shaking Through!!!"
Stipe: *makes gagging sound*
We Walk is played
This show is available in full on the CD Bootleg "Rising", and incomplete on the bootleg "Mada Mada"

01 Wolves, Lower 04:53
02 Moral Kiosk 03:50
03 Laughing 03:56
04 Pilgrimage 04:14
05 Moon River 01:37
06 There She Goes Again 02:44
07 7 Chinese Brothers * 04:14
08 Talk About the Passion 02:58
09 Sitting Still 04:10
10 Harborcoat 03:43
11 Catapult 03:50
12 Pretty Persuasion * 03:51
13 Gardening at Night * 03:02
14 9-9 * 03:21
15 Just a Touch * 02:28
16 West of the Fields 03:05
17 Radio Free Europe 04:54
18 We Walk * 02:55
19 1,000,000 * 03:02
20 Carnival of Sorts * 05:14

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