R.E.M. was my first concert. I remember gushing tears when I first hear heard Everybody Hurts and a number of times afterwards. In high school a boy once wrote out all the lyrics to Crush with Eyeliner in a Valentine’s
Day card for me. I have most of their albums in my car. Since it’s the summer season and we are in the land of 10,000 lakes Nightswimming will finds its way to play list regularly. And yesterday when I was trying to focus on my work I played E-bow the letter almost nonstop for an hour.
So it should not be a surprise that when someone told me Michael Stipe was eating in Gallery 8 Cafe, I dashed out of the office with a few coworkers in tow. I was horribly frightened of being obnoxious, so I stood there wondering, should I or shouldn’t I? Then I thought “Michael Stipe is at the Walker so he must think its cool, and I work at the Walker, therefore I can approach greatness because I am cool by association.” Behold the results. 
R.E.M. will be at the XCEL Energy Center tonight with Modest Mouse. And if we’re lucky enough they’ll play Let Me In!