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Cary Darling 
SXSW: Michael Stipe, R.E.M. back and hungry
AUSTIN -- The guys in R.E.M. didn't fall off the stardom train, they jumped. Michael Stipe and the boys seemed increasingly uncomfortable with their '80s/90s popularity and turned their backs on it, releasing albums that satisfied them perhaps but couldn't find an audience. They appeared to be drifting into benign irrelevance.
But something's changed. They seem to be hungry again. It's evident in the tough, rock-edged yet accessible material from the upcoming album, Accelerate, and it was on display in a confident, loose-limbed performance at Stubb's Wednesday night as part of South by Southwest.
Concentrating on the new disc for the vast majority of the 100-minute, 20-plus song set, R.E.M. (a quintet onstage) kept the crowd's attention through sheer verve and energy. Stipe was at once playful (having a birthday cake brought out for a crew member) and serious (getting all political and pro-Obama) but he didn't let either diversion detract from the music.
The new tracks are generally up-tempo and aggressive, ranging from the shambalic I'm Gonna DJ (a little reminiscent of It's the End of the World As We Know It) to the Hurricane Katrina inspired Houston (a tune that also name-checks Galveston and Laredo).
The handful of older songs played made for an odd selection, including Fall on Me, Drive, Electrolyte, Imitation of Life, and a rousing, show-closing Man on the Moon. They stayed away from most of the big hits. No Losing My Religion. No Stand.
Most likely when they actually go out and tour, the set list will be a little more audience-friendly. On Wednesday, they may have been playing for themselves but the rest of us had a good time, too.
MUSIC MEN: REM plays at SXWS
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