Talk to me Argentina

by John Harris, Q Magazine

Last Saturday night (13 January), R.E.M. appeared in front of the biggest crowd of their career - 190,000 people in Rio De Janeiro (Read the review). Few would have expected that their subsequent show in Buenos Aires could have equaled such a career-defining experience - and yet their ninety minutes in front of 34,000 Argentineans took them close to the dizzying heights of their Brazilian experience.

The gig - also featuring Beck and local stars Los Dividados - took place in a polo field, some 10 minutes outside the city centre. As Beck’s rapturously received set proved, the gig drew a dream audience - and R.E.M.’s knowingly crowd-pleasing set worked the requisite wonders. As in Rio, they reflected the fact that these were the first South American shows of their career in a jukebox-esque set that saw them revisiting all the chapters of their progress thus far.

They began with What’s The Frequency Kenneth, dovetailed into Finest Worksong from 1987’s Document, and then went into Fall On Me from 1986’s Life’s Rich Pageant. From there, the set took in such songs as So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry) (1984), The Wake Up Bomb, The One I Love, Daysleeper, Stand, a rapturously-received Losing My Religion - and the same two new songs that were aired in Brazil: She Just Wants To Be and The Lifting.

Though not quite as talkative as when he was in Rio, singer Michael Stipe was still in vociferous form. Noting that the venue was surrounded by residential tower blocks, he said: "Hey - you people in the tower blocks! Could you take off your clothes for us? There’s something going on on the fourth floor. I can see a silhouette. Don’t Be Shy - we love you. All Of Us."

Prior to Losing My Religion, Stipe also dispensed the tale of his short-lived High School Football Career, which climaxed with him holding a Tango football aloft and addressing the countries of Latin America. "Talk to me Brazil," he said. "Talk to me Peru. Talk to me Uruguay." At the mention of Argentina, the crowd broke into the national chant familiar to anyone who watched the 1978 World Cup Finals.

One other unexpected factor was the rain - beginning during Losing My Religion and only easing up the closing It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). Stipe clearly relished the inclement conditions, willfully getting soaked and telling the crowd that he felt "a naked moment coming on". The promise of nudity went unfulfilled - but the crowd hardly seemed to mind.

In fact, with the rain coming down and the band presaging the finale with an impromptu two minutes of The Stooges’ I Wanna Be Your Dog, it was clear that Buenos Aires knew it had received an epochal R.E.M. performance. The band’s touring plans are currently unclear - on this form, the territories of the world should be praying that Stipe, Buck and Mills pay them a visit.

Set List, Buenos Aires, Wednesday 17 January 2001

What’s The Frequency Kenneth?
Finest Worksong
Fall On Me
The Wake Up Bomb
Daysleeper
The Great Beyond
She Just Wants To Be
Stand
So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)
At My Most Beautiful
The Lifting
The One I Love
Find The River
Losing My Religion
Walk Unafraid
Man On The Moon
Everybody Hurts
Pop Song 89
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

01/18/2001