Monday, October 13, 1988
Daily Nebraskan
Page 9
Ait
K n ft ft a n n m im ft
Despite restless crowds,
lights, R.E.M. sparkles
Review By Geoff McMurtry
Staff Reviewer
Friday night at Pershing Auditorium,
REM put on one of the most provaca
live, upbeat shows In recent memory.
The two-hour plus set Included most of
the songs from "Life's Rich Pageant,"
as well as nearly everything else.
(Though I wish they'd done "Pilgrim
age.") Lead vocalist Michael Stipe
came out looking sharp in a dark gray
suit, top hat and a matching . , . urn , . .
white kitchen apron. The rest of the
band wore white shirts, and guitarist
Peter Buck also had on his getting to
be ever-present vest.
Concert Review
REM charged out of the gate and
seemed genuinely glad to be there.
They seemed much more spirited and
personable than in last year's show in
Omaha, and even introduced themselves
this year. As the band walked onstage,
Buck waved at the crowd. The light
show illuminated their faces to a rec
ognizable level, which contrasts with
the subdued, somber darkness of the
past.
The admirable quality about their
previously aloof and nonchalant atti
tude was the feeling that nothing
whatsoever mattered as much as the
music that they'd be doing this at
home if they weren't paid to be onstage.
The flip side, however, was the crowd,
who had come to see the band perform,
yet became almost of secondary impor
tance and even ignored.
Too mystic?
At times, the band seems to be
directly facing accusations that they
are too mysticintrovertedalienated
from their fans, etc., and they are more
aware of the crowd these days. But this
is still REM, kids, and this is still an
original and self-directed band. In this
case, being more aware of the crowd
only means more sophisticated use of
it, and not the phony crowd-pleasing so
common to arena shows.
A film projector played scenes of
fields, factories, trainyards, broken
down buildings and other symbols of
obscure, forgotten Americana on the
black wall behind them, while stage
lights came through stained glass win
dows in the black walls on the sides. .
Stipe has taken to Pattie Smith-style
poetry over and between the music,
even quoting from Smith's "Set Me
Free" at the end of one song (Oh so
young, so goddamn young, etc.). Some
times he spoke his own lyrics, some
times it was something else, such as
the compellingly bizarre ending of the
main show when he recited the Pledge
of Allegiance, finishing with ".' . . it's all
a lie, and you're all a part of it."
Moments like this, the background
screen and the band's general intensity
combine to echo the theme of Ameri
ca's lost promise that runs through so
much of the new album. And to think
Buck was once quoted as saying he
didn't like "political bands, like the
Clash."
Stipe's intensity
The new outlook is undoubtedly
Stipe's doing, and the band makes it
work despite its outward contradiction
to much of their past. Stipe has one of
the most distinctive voices in rock
today, not to mention one of the most
powerful and intense as well. His
intensity is overwhelming he just
throws himself into the music.
At one point, Stipe continuously
circled the stage, prowling the dark
ness, building to a peak while feedback
screamed from Buck's guitar. Suddenly,
it became "Feeling Gravity's Pull," and
if Stipe really isn't worried about get
ting swallowed by the sky, he didn't
show it.
It wasn't all so serious, however; the
"gnter moments did emerge. After a
beautiful accoustic "Swan Swan H,"
bassist Mike Mills began circling Stipe,
trying for his apron and Stipe ducked
away. After two or three escapes, the
apron was placed over the lead singer's
microphone, where Mills promptly
pounced on It. The crowd began to
sense what was next, and already a few
title shouts were coming from the floor.
Stipe retrieved the apron, and remov
ing all doubt about what was next,
placed It around Buck like a cape. Mills
and Stipe then took up positions at
each other's microphones, and Buck,
Mills and drummer Bill Berry hit the
opening chords to "Superman," accom
panied by an enormous roar from the
crowd. Whenever newly appointed
backup singer Stipe said the word
"Superman," he raised his arms the
way George Reeves would have wanted
it.
REM is lucky to have two vocalists
with the quality of Mills and Stipe.
Drummer Berry also provides excellent
backup vocal work. Although known
more for his melodic bass, Mills clear,
hauntingly resonant voice in the back
ground (as well as lead on "Super
man") is an integral part of their
music. The harmony between him and
Stipe is simply majestic.
REM does Tina?
The crowd obviously enjoyed the
show. There was constant dancing by
over two-thirds of the floor including
the four encores. The first began with a
capella version of "We Don't Need
Another Hero" from, yes, "Mad Max
Beyond Thunderdome." The last began
with a solo verse of "The Night Could
Last Forever," which exploded into
"Radio Free Europe," bringing possibly
the biggest cheer of the night.
- It all came to a close with "Just a
Touch," and the encores featured a
wide, wild variety of the old, the ob
scure, and the unheard-of almost entirely
uncharacteristic of the band, mixed
with a few of their own that hadn't been
played yet.
On the down side of the evening,
T-shirts were a steal as usual at $16 to
18 bucks, (victims were wearing them
all night), and the show itself was
nearly stolen from the fans after the
first act when they pushed toward the
stage and two people were injured. It
also brought the house lights back on,
garnered a threatened cancellation from
security and promoters, and brought
out Stipe himself before the show to
tame the crowd.
Pershing defends its accoustics to
the death, and on the front of the floor,
and in the lower front seats, they are
impeccable. But about two-thirds back
or up, it sounds like two radios in the
same room. Wonder why all those peo
ple want to be up front?
Ignoring distractions like those and
concentrating on REM for the evening,
one would be hard put to find disap
pointment. The band has always had
promise, and this is one band that
delivers on its promises.
Quirky Camper opens
Despite the odds against them,
Camper Van Beethoven opened the
REM show with a wild, energetic set
that had to win more than a few admir
ers. The pushing crowd was an unre
hearsed distraction, but the band took
it all in stride until promoters forced
them to quit after 20 to 30 minutes
when the lights came on. The band
never did get a chance to return.
Too bad, too, because while the band
was there, it played an undescribably
ecstatic style of music. Power chords
with a violin? Hardcore with a steel
guitar? Is this what would happen if
Jethro Tull toured with the Pogues?
They don't take themselves too
seriously, just enough, as evidenced by
song titles like "Take the Skinheads
Bowling" and "I Was So Wasted."
For what it's worth, my apologies to
the band for the crowd, for the condi
tions, for the promoters, for whatever
the hell it was that snatched them off
the stage so quick.
Please come back.
Designers pmsie style
Omaha designers
present show
By Betty Ciemnoczolowski
Staff Reporter
Liz Claiborne, watch out! Ralph
Lauren, step aside. Make way for "In
Active Pursuit," a group of creative
Omaha designers who capture the
spirit of current lifestyles.
"In Active Pursuit" includes the
talents of Mark Kemper, Sherri
Geerdes, Kerstin Erikson, Christina
Narwicz (for "Baby Snakes"), and
Ruth Ciemnoczolowski. The latest
creations of these five designers
were featured last week at "Art
Wear '86" in Omaha at the Metro Art
Building.
Geerdes designs clothing that is
fun to wear and easy to take care of.
Her Fall collection includes a line of
full, tubular knit jumpsuits that can
be belted or worn loose. Corduroy
Fashion Review
hunting shirts, both in solids and
prints, along with turtleneck sweat
ers can flatter and keep away the
fall chills. Geerdes looks to fabric
for her design inspirations. One
such inspiration is the "To The
Hunt" collection, featuring a skirt
and jacket complete with red-jacketed
hunters, horses and hunting
hounds. Kemper, Geerdes' co-designer
and husband, uses silk-screening
to create his own fabric designs.
His "Mona" sweatshirts and other
clothing feature silk-screened vari
ations of the Mona Lisa.
Inspiration for the "Toast," "Toast
Coffee" and "Coffee" prints are
credited to Geerdes.
"I was home one week from work
with strep throat, and I was going
crazy. I had to draw something," she
said. "I ended up drawing our toas
ter and coffee pot. Mark just took
the designs, refined them for screen-
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Haul Vonderiage Daily Nebraskan
Kerstin Erikson's antique fashion collection from the "Art
Wear 'SS" show.
ing, and there we were." The prints
are featured on a variety of sweat
shirts. Erikson combines antique fabrics
and laces with softly gathered
material to create a romantic look
with an original touch. Full balloon
pants combined with antique, slightly
full blouses have an aura of nostal
gia. At the same time, the combina
tion is unique and unlike anything
seen before.
Ciemnoczolowski's designs give
women a chance to dress like prin
cesses. Pink and black are the
primary colors for her evening wear;
lace, netting and ruffles grace these
provocative outfits.
See ARTVEAR on 10
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