I got into them in 1989 (aged 15). A friend of mine had the 12" of Stand (still love that video) and we listened to it to death.
I always thought (at the time) I had strict parents but REM played Dublin Point Depot on 24/6/89 that year (Green World Tour), and me and 2 friends got tickets and went down to Dublin for the weekend to celebrate the end of our GCSEs (big exams at 16yo).
We were well prepared with fake ID, had fun on the Friday night. On Saturday afternoon a few hours before the concert we bought some beers and were drinking them in St Stephens Green. A couple walked past and one of my mates thought he recognised the girl as a DJ on RTE radio 2 (big at the time as the cool station to listen to). My other mate said never mind that, isn't that the guy out of REM with her? We followed them out of the park and after a bit of will-we-won't-we, I started the trend of a lifetime and approached them and asked if he was in REM. Turned out he was, it was Peter Buck, and we chatted for 5 mins. He asked about living in the north (Troubles were ongoing at the time) and we muttered various shy-teenager inanities.
The gig itself was great, though the venue was awful - like a huge aircraft hangar. Support band was the Go-betweens. They did my favourite song of theirs, Karen as their encore, so I went a bit mad and was wrecked by the time REM came on. My abiding memory is Michael Stipe looking emaciated and singing standing on his head. They introduced Stand as 'possibly the greatest popsong ever written', a statement I wouldn't refute to this day.
I bought a Green World Tour t-shirt and still wear it - it's fallen apart but SO soft now after 22 years of regular laundering!
After that I got into their back catalogue in a big way, favourites were (and remain) It's the End of The World as we Know it, Strange, Superman, The Wrong Child, and Fall On Me. probably more that I'll recall later.
I lost touch with the music world for 8 or so years after 1993 but remember being impressed with What's the Frequency Kenneth.
2003 (my third year at Glastonbury festival) REM headlined the main stage on the Friday night (27/6/2003). I went along for nostalgia, and it was really brought home to me how huge they are (were). I could sing along to every single word of every song, even though I'd spent so long in the music wilderness. Everybody Hurts at Glastonbury.
11 out of 10
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