REM

Last night on the bank of the Elbe, Neustadt side, with a view of the Frauenkirche, Katholische Hofkirche and Art Academy in the background, REM performed. An impressive location for an impressive band. I was lucky as heck to get a ticket from my boss who happened to have a couple extras, as they'd been sold out for months. The venue was packed, it was impossible to see, and I think there were 3 times as many viewers outside the venue on the meadow and on the bridge looking in as official ticket-holders. I'm sure they had a better view than we did. I could go on and on about how this was one of the first rock bands I ever heard, probably because of my older brother, about how cool it was to hear so many old songs live that I just love, about the location, about the politics, about the cultural situation of all these middle aged East Germans finally seeing this West band who they've had a secret love affair with for a long time, about watching all the different people and seeing their reactions to the different songs and imagining what their stories are that go with these songs, what they did while listening to this song at some time in their life, why they're smiling or looking so reminiscent, how funny it was to hear people singing along to Man on the Moon when they really didn't know the words or what they mean (but who does?), but felt it in their hearts, but I'll save it.