As the arena lights dimmed, the anticipation grew. First, the members of the audience became silent, then rose to their feet and cheered with excitement as their idols took the stage.
Like the rest of the audience, I was swept up in the wave of anticipation as R.E.M. made its first Southern California appearance in at least five years. I, too, had waited the extra five and a half months to see the show that was postponed from its original May date due to drummer Bill Berry’s emergency brain surgery. As a tried and true fan, it was a concert I had waited years for and would not have missed for anything.
The band burst onto the stage with a high energy version of “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” and the crowd went absolutely wild. The enthusiasm remained high for the entire set, as everybody danced and sang along to their favorite R.E.M. tunes. The music was great, but for my friend and I, the most interesting parts of the experience were the people and circumstances we were able to observe.
When we first reached the venue , the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, we were slightly disappointed with our seats, because although they were on the “right there” level, our seats were off to the side, which meant we would be staring at the back of lead singer Michael Stipe’s head. But then, we realized that we really were “right there.” Not only could we watch all of the backstage action, our seats were directly above the tunnel entrance to the stage. If we had thought of it, we could have literally stretched over the railing in front of us and rubbed Stipe’s bald head as he passed under us.
The backstage action proved to be most interesting. We were able to get a close-up look at the roadies as they set up the stage (complete with orange and green lights and scaffolds reminiscent of Spirit Week), and the security guards watching the audience like hawks. A couple of minutes before the show was scheduled to begin, we noticed four girls just hanging out backstage. We were kind of jealous, until we realized that they were Luscious Jackson, the opening band. Then we just felt kind of dumb.
Once the bands started playing, the real entertainment started. For part of the show, there was this woman sitting behind us who was just a little too excited. Unlike the rest of the audience who normally cheered while the bands were on stage, she hooted and hollered exclusively when no one was performing and the arena lights were up. I do not know how she kept her voice throughout then night, because my ears were sure gone after a couple of her shrieks. Of course, she was only yelling when she was not running up and down the aisles and redressing herself repeatedly.
Then there was the guy across the aisle. I am all for having fun and getting into the music, but this guy was out of control. I am lucky I did not receive a black eye or a concussion from his flailing arms and legs. But dodging his blows while grooving to the music did make for an interesting evening.
My friend’s favorite person to watch was a man in the center of the front row. Not only was he just too into watching and trying to touch Stipe, he was the only audience member we saw who actually started stripping down when Stipe suggested that the audience do so.
The most amazing part of the audience was the variety of people and age groups. Sitting beside us, there was a girl with a woman who looked to be her mother (and looked a little uncomfortable to be at a rock concert). Next to them, was a group of teenage boys who looked almost too young to be alive when R.E.M. made some of its older albums, and remained virtually comatose throughout the entire show, until R.E.M. finished with “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” when they went absolutely crazy. Then there was the older, middle-aged crowd who were obviously long-time fans.
The concert I had been waiting years for did prove to be a memorable experience. Oh, and R.E.M. was awesome too.
