What do you get when you combine former members of Sunny Day Real Estate, Wilco, the Mountain Goats, and Poi Dog Pondering with a Oscar nominated actor and set them loose on the catalog of one of our most revered and fondly remembered rock bands? The answer at the Neptune Theatre Friday night was ‘Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy, and Friend’s Play Life’s Rich Pageant’. This is the third REM album this crew has tackled and the second time they’ve brought one of their productions to the Neptune. This same group of players with founding REM member Peter Buck played to a mostly full house for last year’s ‘Fables of the Reconstruction’ tour. This year’s show has been sold out for months and could have easily filled one of the city’s larger venues.
Not unlike a lot of other avid live music appreciators, I have mixed feelings about consuming a band’s work via a ‘tribute band’. That said, there’s something about the marriage of REM’s catalog with this particular group of players that elevates the experience to a different level. I was trying to identify that ‘something’ while listening to the band tuck into ‘Pageant’ and finally reached the conclusion that it’s a combination of factors that lift the project beyond that of your run of the mill tribute band. First and foremost would be the skill level and experience of the band members. Actor Michael Shannon might seem like a curious choice to handle REM singer Michael Stipe’s enigmatic vocal stylings but he delivers in every respect. Shannon wisely avoids attempting a straight up Stipe imitation, instead adding his own personality and inflections to the mix. He clearly loves the material, throwing himself into his performance with unselfconscious gusto. Lead guitarist Jason Narducy seamlessly covers Peter Buck’s guitar parts while adding spot on vocal harmonies. Narducy has worked often over the years with drummer Jon Wurster, most recently in Bob Mould’s touring band. They fit together well, as do the supporting cast of guitarist Dag Juhlin, bass player John Stirratt, and keyboard player Vijay Tellis-Nayak. It’s worth noting that Michael Stipe, Pete Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry have all given Shannon and Narducy their tacit approval, joining the band onstage during last year’s ‘Fables’ tour.
Friday’s show was divided into two sections, the first half consisting of a beginning to end run through of REM’s third album, ‘Life’s Rich Pageant’. After a brief pause, the band played a second set consisting of some of REM’s more well-known compositions, interspersed with deeper cuts, such as ‘Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)’, dating all the way back to REM’s first ep, ‘Chronic Town’, released in 1982. Both sets were marked by stellar playing and good spirits by all involved. The interplay between Narducy and Wurster was as crisp and exciting as one would expect and Wilco’s John Stirratt is an exceptionally intuitive and creative player. REM’s catalog is full of distinctive and memorable bass lines. Any attempt to fete them without a great bass player in the mix would lend pallid results. The audience was on board all evening, seeming to lock in early during the ‘Life’s Rich Pageant’ portion of the program and becoming increasingly more responsive as the band picked up steam in the latter portion of the show.
The show was opened by comedian and filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait. He made a solid connection with the Seattle audience, drawing recognition and amusement with observations and anecdotes, including a bit about his time touring with Nirvana in the 90’s. It would appear someone in the Shannon/Narducy contingent favors standup comedy. Last year’s REM tribute show was opened by comedian Dave Hill. I don’t know that I’d welcome a comedy lead in to every rock show I attend but I enjoyed both Goldthwait and Hill.
