Once again, an Irish audience had the chance to experience the US supergroup REM on Sunday 19th June.  The venue was Ardgillan Castle, a perfectly picturesque location on the north coast of Co. Dublin (another gently sloping hillside with the stage set amidst the stunning castle above, a fuzzy 3/4 moon far above, set hard against the Irish Sea a few hundred yards below - Bertis Down, REM Advisor - taken from www.remhq.com -20/06/2005).  It was a beautiful day in many ways: the weather, the venue, the audience, the atmosphere and, of course, the music.  REM were supported by local artists Ambulence LTD and the Devlins, The Zutons (of Liverpool) and the wonderfully electic and eccentric Moby (of NYC).

An audience of 25,000 turned up to experience this mix of sunshine, sea, culture and melody.  Fans of all ages congrugated and enjoyed many additional attractions such as bungee leaping (that's from the ground up), sightseeing around the castle, or just lazing in the sun on an inflatable armchair!!! 

Aside from the distractions, there was also a very political atmosphere about the concert in light of the forthcoming G8 summit and the 60th birthday of Aung Sung Suu Kyi, the elected Burmese leader who has been under a military seige of a house arrest over the past 15 years.  Never one to miss an opportunity to raise awareness for worthy causes, Michael Stipe wished Ms Suu Kyi a happy birthday and dedicated three songs to her which were broadcast over Burmese radio stations last Monday.  Amnesty International and Oxfam Ireland were also welcomed and promoted at the event.  It's also been a year for US artists to strongly voice their own political opinions at concerts: George W Bush and his "horrible, disgusting administration" also got pulled over the coals a few times by both Stipe and Moby.

But the bottom line is that it was a fantastic day for music.  The five bands/artists played their hearts out and really enjoyed the electric atmosphere of the day.  The Zutons strutted around on stage banging out hits from their fantastic debut album "Who Killed The Zutons?".  Moby treated fans to a mix of festival hits from his own best selling discography as well as covering Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wildside", Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" (sung by lead guitarist Daire/Darryl(?) Murphy, and Father Ted's "My Lovely Horse"!!!  Moby's connection with his band and with the Irish audience was simply amazing and classics such as "Porcelain" and "Bodyrock" really complemented his more recent hit "Lift Me Up" and his eclectic choice of cover songs.

REM really treated their fans to a variety of their extensive material - tracks from their latest album "Around The Sun" blended in with radio classics "Bad Day", "Losing My Religion",  "The One I Love" and Everybody Hurts.  Fans enjoyed hearing rarely played tracks such as "Find The River" and "Leave" and bassist Mike Mills performed a beautiful rendition of "Moon River".  The band were in top form, with Stipe leading the crowd in various refrains, gestures and dances, Mills thumping out his inimitable bass lines and tinkling the ivories, and Peter Buck grinding out his electric riffs along with plucking out some banjo and mandolin lines along the way.  A truly memorable day for all!

REM: Set List - Ardgillan Castle, Dublin, 2005.

Bad Day
What’s The Frequency Kenneth?
The One I Love
Wanderlust
Leave
Drive
Animal
Disturbance at the Heron House
Electron Blue
Leaving New York
Everybody Hurts

(Dedication to Aung Sung Suu Kyi - "To the people of Burma, hello from Dublin, Ireland. To Aung San Suu Kyi, we are gathered here tonight to join in solidarity with your vision of democracy in Burma. We want to wish you a happy 60th birthday filled with hope and say that we deeply respect your profound commitment to the people of Burma. And we pray with our hearts that by your 61st birthday, you will walk free among your people. We celebrate your spirit, vision, dedication and commitment to democracy and peace" (Michael Stipe in front of 25.000 people at Ardgillan Castle, Ireland))

REM raise awareness for Aung Sung Suu Kyi in Co. Dublin

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The Outsiders

Find The River

World Leader Pretend

Moon River (Mike Mills)
Final Straw
Orange Crush
Walk Unafraid
Losing My Religion

Imitation Of Life

The Great Beyond

Electrolite

Me In Honey

Sitting Still?

DJ?

Man On The Moon