R.E.M. - Live From Austin TX

Plays the Accelerate Songbook
I've been reading some blogs where critics bash this concert for being too Accelerate-sided but in my opinion this is not a bad thing.

I enjoyed R.E.M.'s album Accelerate, which came out in 2008. Some songs whose lyrics I have memorised appeared in that CD: 'Hollow Man', 'Houston', 'Supernatural Superserious', 'I'm Gonna DJ' and many others.

R.E.M. live from Austin, TX is heavy on Accelerate because the band were promoting the album at the time. Nine, out of seventeen songs (half the concert) are included in Accelerate. In fact, in you haven't purchased Accelerate, I would highly recommend that you get it through amazon.com (or however you prefer, just buy it).

Of course there are songs from other albums as well, but I am not an R.E.M.-ologist to identify them (though 'Drive' and 'Man on the Moon' are easily recognised as 'Automatic for the People' material). The pop hit 'Losing my religion' is also included.

The beauty of this DVD is...

Excellent DVD
If you are an R.E.M. fan, this is an excellent addition to your collection. The group plays new and old songs without a hitch.

Live R.E.M. is excellent as always
For the most part, this is a really good performance. But that's all it is: a performance. If you're looking for band interviews or behind the scene extras, look elsewhere. For the most part R.E.M. sticks to themselves and their music, but they do explain the meanings behind a few of their recent songs, and Michael Stipe even invite 2 small kids in the audience to climb on stage. Their music selection is strong, although a vast majority of it is obviously taken from Accelerate, as this was recorded only a few weeks before Accelerate was released.

While it's nice to see different songs like Fall On Me being played, Drive seems very awkward being placed between the loud Man-Sized Wreath and the up-tempo So. Central Rain. However, the music is still top-notch R.E.M., and they never miss a beat. Although I prefer their Live At The Olympia CD for its great variety in songs, Live from Austin is still strong in its own way, even if it's very short compared to their last 2 live...

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