R.E.M. - Tourfilm (1990)

"This one goes out to Exxon."

Every once and a while I come across a concert so unique that I need to write a review for the benefit of other fans. Having been a fan of REM since their start in Georgia (I love Indigo Girls, too, by the way), I was really excited to finally get "Tourfilm". I love live concerts, since you get a real feel for the artists' ability to communicate with their fans, see how passionate they are about their message and see if they are just a studio band. While I would never classify REM as a studio band, this DVD is amazingly bad. I know, I don't want to admit it, but Stipe is very much off pitch in at least half of the songs. Perhaps he had been singing too much on previous days, or was sick, or had eaten a dead dog. I dunno what the heck was wrong, but it wasn't working for him. If it were not for Mills singing harmony or backup, his thin voice would have been even more painful. (I watched the whole concert once and thought it was ok, then I just listened to it while I cleaned the house and had to turn it off for lack of coherence.)

And I can certainly make allowances for bad live performances. I can quickly think of a few live acts I've seen like a Dylan concert, an REO SW concert, a Duran concert (never a Peter Gabriel concert though) where the band just wasn't up to par; but the difference is that they didn't put that out on a dvd. Whoever thought that the quality of this concert was worth preserving and then selling was seriously mistaken. It's really bad, and it has nothing to do with production quality or mixing. It's all Stipe's fault as far as I am concerned. The rest of the band sounds pretty good, but you can tell they are no virtuosos and haven't refined themselves in this setting at this time in their career. Sounds like a decent college-town bar band still.

OK, `nuff of the technical critique. Now I turn my attention to the annoying quality of Stipe that has not improved over the years. Now don't get me wrong. I am all in favor of using art to voice your opinion, but it gets tacky sometimes, and Stipe is a transgressor in this regard. To one fan he yells, "That better not be Styrofoam!" Uh, Mike, if that's an issue then tell your vendor, or the arena's vendor, not to use them when you're there. Another time he starts a song off with "This one goes out to Exxon", to which the crowd offers a somewhat reluctant response (the crowd isn't too into this concert). The problem isn't that he sounds like a liberal college professor in a lecture hall, but that his antics and stance seem to be irrelevant to the fans, most of whom supported Exxon that day and did so the following week. It goes back to the "case of the liberal celebrity". It's true that they have valid opinions just like the rest of us, and it's also true that they have a larger voice owing to their celebrity. But the venue for such comments has to be taken into account. Runway models on the red carpet talking about starving children or nuclear arms or war is just as silly as Stipe's comments to this fan base. True in themselves perhaps, but if they were dressed up, those comments (and there were more) would be wearing a 70s leisure suit at a black tie dinner. He should take some lessons from Bono on how to make a proper delivery.

Lastly, what's wrong with getting some tweezers out? Ok, so that last one was just silly. I'm still a huge fan, but am happy I found this at a garage sale with a few quarters in my pocket. I feel pretty traitorous even writing this, but someone has to voice a dissenting report (in the spirit of Michael Stipe's penchant for dissent).

December 27, 2007

A Must Have For Everyone Who Loves or Likes R.E.M.

This is R.E.M. at their very best. And LIVE! Incredible video, Incredible audio. One of those few music DVDs that you'll want to watch again & again. All the guys are still there including Bill, one of the absolute best drummers of all time in one of the absolute Best Rock Bands of all time! R.E.M. made music history and continue to do everything right with heart, soul and much class. This is just a small part of it to treasure. Definately worth owning! January 16, 2007

Tourfilm: No extras, but rewarding for fans of the classic band

TOURFILM is R.E.M.'s critically acclaimed concert document of their exhaustive 1989 GREEN world tour. The DVD contains nothing more than the original VHS version, but it is still a treat for fans whose old tape copies have deteriorated from repeated viewing.

The concert features innovative renditions of such R.E.M. staples as "The One I Love", "It's the End of the World As We Know It", "Finest Worksong", and "Fall on Me". Particularly strong versions of album tracks "I Believe", "Turn You Inside Out", and "King of Birds" punctuate the film throughout. The only low point is the opening number, an embarrassingly weak "Stand". Michael Stipe's concert banter brings cohesion to the show as it evolves without sapping any of the energy from the performances.

The songs on TOURFILM are drawn mainly from LIFE'S RICH PAGEANT, DOCUMENT, and GREEN. The two exceptions to this rule are "Feeling Gravity's Pull" from RECONSTRUCTION OF THE FABLES and a rendition of "Perfect Circle" from MURMUR that exceeds the original studio recording. Songs of the period that are noticeably missing are the GREEN single "Orange Crush" and RECKONING's "So. Central Rain", an alternate version of which teases you through the opening credits. These omissions are no different from the original VHS recording.

It is disappointing that R.E.M. has not offered up an expanded edition of TOURFILM, but the future holds hope that one will emerge. Until then, $12.99 for this DVD is a steal for fans of R.E.M.'s first decade.
March 11, 2006

Great Reminder of the Green World Tour

The Green World Tour was my first live R.E.M. experience, and I remember it with great fondness. If you too remember the Green tour, then you know this DVD is a must have. If you are an R.E.M. fan and missed this great show, here is your chance to own a piece of the excitement. The thing I rememebered most from the live show was the funny screen projections at the start of the show where the audience read their city name allowed as well as three concert rules, which included not throwing things, being courteous to your neighbors, and not waiting until the quietest part of "You are the Everything" to yell "Mike Mills." This was the kinder, gentler side of R.E.M.

The song list starts off with Stand, One I Love, I Could Turn You Inside Out (this was with the bullhorn which makes an interesting twist to the song), World Leader Pretend, Feeling Gravity's Pull, I Believe, I Remember CA, Get-Up (with Stipe dancing like he's had 20 cups of coffee) End of the World as I know it, Pop Song 89, Fall on Me, You are the Everything, Begin the Begin, King of Birds, Finest Work Song, Perfect Circle.

There are great shots of the background projections that were used live so if you remember them, it will be a great trip down memory lane, and you will notice these shots in Parellel between videos.

The shots are much cleaner than some of the other live DVD's although R.E.M. come-latelys will be shocked at Stipe's rather odd do. The sound on the DVD is fairly high quality for a live event. R.E.M. sounds great live and the variations in the music makes this a must have for fans as well as for those interested in the band's earlier (but certainly not earliest) works. March 10, 2005

Can't be bad because my hand appears in this tape!

And my hand is great!! I use it all the time for all kinds of things!

First, this was a great concert. Camped for tickets at the mall in Raleigh. Drove to Greensboro (North Carolina) from Smithfield to see them live. I was there, in the row right before the camera. After the music started we all stood up in our chairs. The camera was high, but not high enough to miss my hand in a few frames. RA!

Anyway, this is a great film, because the concert was great! Needless to say, I got a copy of this as soon as it came out. It continues to be a great concert film and of course, a valuble momento of the Green tour! Highly recommended for anyone who's a fan! January 19, 2005

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