What did Michael say? Michael comments between the songs......

[……] = What happens when he/they talks + other information
(……) = When he talks very low..you can bearly hear it

This is what Michael Stipe said during the concert in Stockholm 9.11.98:

"Hello!", [smiles]

*1* Losing my religion

"Thank you! Hello! Hi! (Everything is diffrent…ooh…aah…All right…) This is a song from our new record"

*2* Lotus

"Thanks…thanks alot and hello! Hi!" [smiles]

*3* New Test Leper

"Thank you!" [And one from the crowd shout back: "Thank you, Michael!"] "You're welcome….All right…This is a song of the radio called Daysleeper. I hope you like it."

*4* Daysleeper

"Thank you…ooheea….I'm gonna…Hello! Hi! How are you? There…good…" [One from the crowd:"You dropped something!] "Yeah it's my paper" [Refering to his lyrics-paper] "Aah…I'm gonna take this moment to introduce everyone on stage who is not a member of R.E.M…Starting…aah….to…aah…approximitywise...… On bass-guitar: Mr. Ken Stringfellow…It's a very nice tie Ken…On drums: Mr. Joey Waronker…Joey…And…on acoustic 24-string: Mr Scott McCaughey! … And you are the audience…and the rest of us are R.E.M.: Peter, Michael and Mike…And we're in Stockholm…and it is…What time is it?" [Many of us looking at our watches] … "It's right now…That's what time it is…And we're all here…and it's kinda great! Here is our next song."

*5* Electrolite

"Thank you! … I really am..I swear…I really am sick to death with the Millennium. It's like 14 months away from us and allready it's all that you can hear about. There are companies that are named Millenium-this. Everything is about Y2K (the year 2000). What's gonna happen when all the computers switch over to 2000…aah…The worlds ganna come crashing down our ears…We have heard this before! It's kinda of boring…Right?…" [Crowd goes "yeah!"] "But I don't know about you…but I wasn't here in the year 1900..all though at times it may look that way…But…This is all had…It….Let's let go of it...Let us move on...Let us allow our brain to catch up with...(aah)...Where out guts, and our heart..aah..where the other interesting parts of our body are taking us...Let's...Let's....mix all this up in wonder (?) and herd our selves..right into...aah..right into the next moment. Which is...aah...allready past by, because I've been talking to long...So...with that...We'd just launch right into a song for this moment..Here and now...Right now! This is it..."

*6* At my most beutiful

"Thank you!...ooh....aaah...oooh...aaah....aaah" [Imitating a love-sick person] "Thank you...That was the theme song from Love Story, and this is the theme song from the Exorcist! Hope you like it!

*7* The Apologist

"Thank you!".....[From the crowd: "Peter Buck is a guitargod!"] Peter laughs and Michael ask "That's not a problem right?" [refering to the echo of the noisy stage] "It's a very very noisy stage here...I don't know my own strength.." [while Peter is doing some small solo's on his guitar] "Yeah....We're really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really...sorry.."

*8* So. Central Rain

"Thank you" Mike Mills adds: "We wanna welcom all the members of ATP (Association of Tennis Players, in town for the Stockholm Open)...They're here tonight...Personal hello! Also Welcome to South Africa...South Africa television, our first performance ever there on television as far as we know...It's worth a shouth (?)..." Then Michael sings the line from the 60's song Del Shannon's Runaway,"As...I walk along I wonder....of what went wrong"

*9* Walk Unafraid

"Thank you"...[walks off the stage..comes back one minute later...] "Had to pee...We never went away...Allright if anybody wants to take of their clothes, you can do it..."

*10* Man on the moon

Mike Mills: "Thanks alot!" Peter:"Thank you". Mike:"Goodbye TV" Peter: "Bye" [walks off the stage...crowd shouts: "R.E.M, R.E.M., R.E.M." and so on...Michael comes back after a few minuts with his acoustic guitar...] "Hey baby, are we losing touch!" [Then starts on "I'm not over you, but stops after ther first line: "I feel great..I lied to save you feeling"..."A Tracy Chapman-song"...Starts again...]

*11* I'm not over you

"Thank you"......."No sorry" [refering to my sign with "Can you play Long Road?"]...."It's kinda hot in here..."[The rest of the band enter the stage..] "Are we still on the air or whatever or is that part over?.......Is that part done?" I think Mike Mills answers "It's being taped, but it's not live" Michael: "Oh, yeah, ok......Aah.....right...aah...I had this really kinda extreme...aah...Can I talk for a second? [Asks Peter and Mike]. I had this kinda of extreme idea...that a....because their urine smells good and because the live in eucalyptus trees all their life and eucalyptus is a hallucinagen (?)...aah..that Koalbears are the highest form of life...spiritually speaking...Which has nothing to do with the next song, I'v just have been informed....So you hold that thought to this next song and somehow try to find a way to make it apply to the lyrics...and you have welcomed yourself into the world of R.E.M.....Ok....Have you got that? Have you grasped that consept on a mass-level (?) and individually?...Yes....I thought so....You are very very well educated people...I can tell...You're still wearing your clothes, but I'm not gonna hold that against you...In fact...I'm not gonna hold anything against you..." [The band laughs, so do Michael] "Sorry, it's been a long fuckin' week! Ok?! Here is a beutiful song...."

*12* Fall on me

"Right...Thank you...So...where was I ? I was a.......right...got it....Alcohol composes to water...You know, there's not much to it. Each part is nothing less same as the first. Sugar mixed with water combines to forms of sugery liquid substance that you can drink or put in your eye if you wish...aah..none of them are very good...Unless you add a little carbon/coffein (?) in it and then you have..Soda...wich is a 20th century invention...Actually late 19th century invention...it's carried through till now and it will carry us well into the next several hundreds of thousends years, depending on wich side of the fence you sit on...in a particular debate..Now, what we where talking about...Professor [laughs]...is..aah...my particular idea...aah...ok, so Koalabears live in trees...all their lifes...They're slaughtful...right?They are very lazy animals. They only eat eucalyptus...Eucalyptus, I was told by Patti Smith is a hallocgenic. So they are fucked up all their life...As far as I know, they don't drink water..Right? They don't have these little straw-container-things in eucalyptus trees...naturally speaking...aah...nobody goes up and taps 'em on...so the Koalabears can drink...The just eat eucalyptus leaves...They're high, their entire lifes...When then they piss..what is it smell like?" [Crowd answers: "Eucalyptus....."] Michael says: "Very good..." [smiles]..."Smells great..! Everybody in the world. From a two year old..aah..let's push it here..just for the sake of conversation...a one and a half year old...living in a far province of China, to a 85 year old woman from Rochester, New York...would consider if polled Koalabears are among the cutest animals on earth. Right? We all love Koalabears! Can I get a witness...Like you mean it..ok....My sweather was made of Koala actually...I love those creatures...Koalabears are the highest spiritual form on earth. So if you do really well in this life and you move on, if you believe in such things...I'm not saying that I do, I'm just putting one forward the other (?)...You move on...you move on..you move on...you move on...you move on...you move on..[using his hands, placing them in floors]....you move on...you reach Buddah...Nothing, that's ground floor....You keep going...you keep going...going..going...The highest spiritual form on earth is a Koalabear. All right?...Shut up, and sing right?! Yeah...I really have to say though...I really have to say...that I'm honestly fuckin' bored of my.." Mike interupts"Michael, I like your story..." [as Michael is being informed that they still are on the air] "I've just been informed that nations of people are listening to us, so I'm gonna shut the fuck up...ooops...I thught we were off the radio by now...OK, here we go....Here's a lovely beutiful song from a american rock band called R.E.M., three pieced, they're really great and they are nice guys. Here it is:"

*13* Parakeet

"Thank you! Thank you! [Mills:"Hey Pistol are you all right out there? You're all right Peter.("Pistol = "Pistol Pete" = Pete Sampras, who was there...)]From Michael: "What? Are you speakin'?" (Mills: "I'm talking to a friend of mine") Michael takes a zip from his glass of whitewine and says:"Mmm...Mmm..They can't see this on the radio...mmm.......Aah...This is a beutiful song written by a very dear friend of ours, a great musician..aah...Mr. Bill Berry!"

*14* Perfect Circle

"Thank you...Bill Berry...oooah..Thank you..."

*15* Country Feedback

"Thank you...Thanks alot....Aaah...yeah...apperently we're still going out on the radio, which is a little bit embarrassing, because...I didn't know that.[little laugh]...we're supposed to stop after an hour...aah....all right...this is for all the people in radioland that are butt-ass naked..out there..(They've turned it off, nobody is listening[laughs] come on..) [From the crowd: "6-pack..Michael: What? Crowd:"Rock n' roll" Peter: "6-pack?" and goes into a 2 second riff of 6-pack rock n' roll]

*16* Pretty Persuation

Michael sings: "If you're happy and you know it..na..na..na...na..na...na...na..na..na" [Requist from the crowd:"The end of the world"] Michael answers: "Yes my brother you are correct...but we will play on...forcing forward"[band begins on intro of strange]

*17* Strange

"All right...Thank you...and goodbye..Bye!" [Goes off stage and crowd begins:"We want more...we want more... ;-) Comes back after a few minuts...] Aaah right...had to pee..sorry...Replace my diaphragm...you know.....Did anyone get that? [Replies from someone from the crowd who I think said:"Thank you for singing"] Michael laughs and answers: "Thank you very much...Joan Bonham (?)...A woman of the times...Joan Boanham...[Then he grabs a plastic fruit perucasion instrument and starts risling with it] "People..we are on the beat man...We are feeling the energy in l.....(?) I am so in the moment...right this moment...Yes...bring your energy to me...ooh...Yes...Ooh god...I can't keep it up...[Stops jamming and goes into Radio Free Europe]

*18* Radio Free Europe

"I have lost my hand and I want it back, Thank you!..Thanks...Thank you, that was a 6/8 folk song written in the year 1064 two years before the Norman Conquest wich began at only just reminiscence (?)..Norman Conquest twenty...The Norman? The Roman? No, Norman? Roma? Roma? Roma? Roma?..The Norman Conquest..Can we?[Mike helps: "The Norman Conquest, thank you"] Michael:"Right, and this is a little tribute to Iggy Conquest...aah of the year 1972 I believe it was...aah...Were you there? Well, I was...tuts(?)"

*19* Passenger

[Ten minuts long version! In the middle of the song he comes in wrong and says:"I'm very embarressed right now" The song almost stops....But then he starts again: "Everything is yours and mine..and gives the the mic to the crow: Na..na..na..na..na..na..na.na]

For more info about the concert, read my review...