Re: Jon Bream's review of R.E.M.'s concert at Xcel Energy Center I thought your review was a bit too positive. I am not a diehard R.E.M. fan, but a fan nonetheless.
I thought the order of the music was horrible. They waited until the encore to play a single hit. I sat through the entire show until the end to be able to recognize a single song. Then, they didn't even play "Stand"; it was a No. 1 hit. I am sure they may be sick of the song, but those who know them best for that song and had never seen R.E.M. before would have liked for them to sing the song that is the most popular. I don't understand why you wouldn't mention that the mix of the 27-song set was poor.
KILLIAN RIEDER, MPLS.
Nice review of the show. I thought it was a great show. It was uncharacteristic for Michael Stipe to stop a song and start over. "Bad Day" started out on the wrong foot and they needed to restart the song. I've never witnessed R.E.M. ever doing this.
ROB MAGNUSON, PLYMOUTH
I nominate your lead for "Pun of the Year." [R.E.M. was caught between Barack and a hard rain.] Sensational! Plus, the entire review was exceptional.
MARJORIE SIMON, MPLS.
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