This show was actually the final show in a series of three played at the Omni, and by far the most exciting. It seemed the band and crew decided to go nuts for the finale of the tour and in doing so made for quite a memorable show. The set was similar to those posted all over for previous shows on the tour with lots of new songs and only more recent material. For the most part, the show followed the same format as the two previous shows in Atlanta with a few important changes.
Luscious Jackson opened the show and played the exact same set they had for the past two evenings (yawn). The only thing that made this performance even remotely interesting was the release of a giant inflatable something-or-other with the words "thank you" printed on it. The set ended with a group hug with the members of R.E.M. and a personal thank you from the band for opening on the final leg of the tour.
The end of that nonsense led to the main event. These final three shows of the tour were being filmed for a home video so certain additions to the atmosphere were put in place. Doctor's scrubs with what appeared to be "R.E.M. MONSTER" printed on them were distributed to those near the stage as an obvious satire on the medical problems plaguing the band during this tour. At the two previous shows Michael had mentioned that his doctors were in the audience, I guess this was done to add to the illusion. Another flourish added this evening was the message "229 down 1 to go!" (or something like that, I forget the actual number) flashed on the Omni's scoreboards. This made the moment the show started seem a little more important than the rest of the tour.
The band hit the stage with the enthusiasm and energy of men half their age and rocked like there was no tomorrow because, as far as the tour was concerned, there was no tomorrow. The now famous films of Athens kids and other diversions played on behind the band adding more eye candy to an already visually exciting performance. On this evening Michael Stipe finally seemed to let his guard down and go back to the frolicking, dancing fool we all remember from previous, less jaded R.E.M. tours. He flailed and sang and did that thing with his hands real well.
One thing that was really annoying was the "script" Michael seemed to follow. For three nights he came out and did and said essentially the same things for each song. For example on the second night, he began discussing how the last time he was in the Omni was the Nirvana In Utero tour. He then corrected himself when he realized the last time he was in the Omni was the previous evening. This was the same story he used the night before to introduce "You", but one has to admit it made the impact of the song much stronger. This coupled with the fact Mike Mills was playing the only (as far as I know) infamous Mustang guitar Fender was going to market using Kurt Cobain's name really gave that song some punch.
Regardless of the scripting, this band definitely proved they could rock during this tour and it was no more evident than that final night. R.E.M. is one of the world's most entertaining bands; the songs and energy they produce is amazing. Being the last night of the tour, the band was able to blend in some of the more important songs of their career as a treat to those present. The first came in the form of "Fall on Me" which was introduced by the statement, "This song is from the Pleistocene era when the dinosaurs ruled the earth." A very heartfelt rendering of this classic followed much to the delight of the older fans present that evening. Later in the set came a song preceded by the statement "We played this one the first time we were on TV back in 1984." This of course referring to their legendary performance of "so. Central Rain" on the David Letterman show many years ago. This song was played beautifully and will remain a fond memory in the minds of many in attendance that evening. Yet another special addition to the set came where "It's the End of the World As We Know It" usually was. Peter Buck approached Stipe at this point and whispered something to him after which Michael pointed to drummer Bill Berry and said "You know what to do." This was followed by the staccato snare intro to "Radio Free Europe", a song which had to be played on such a special night. This set the crowd going wild as it led into the aforementioned "It's the End of The World..." to which Michael sang "It's the End of the Tour" repeatedly in his most southern of southern drawls. All this occurred amidst a crowd of R.E.M. office workers and crew dancing and partying on stage. The members of Luscious Jackson also occupied the stage after their shredded paper assault on the band earlier in the set left the stage(as well as the band) a paper covered mess. This song had ended the show on the previous nights and as they had every night the band began to leave the stage as the house lights went up.
But then Peter Buck turned around and came running back and grabbed his guitar. He then began playing "Wild Thing" (of all things) as the band returned to join him. They played this ridiculous song for about ten more minutes as the house lights remained on and the crowd went insane. Michael Stipe and Mike Mills took turns shouting the lyrics at the top of their lungs in a raunchy and out of key display of the band's vocals. Finally the band ended this, thanked the audience and exited the stage for the final time on the Monster tour. An exciting, memorable and depressing moment for all those involved that evening.
