Setlist incomplete

I went to the Robyn Hitchcock show at the Kings Arms in Auckland a month back. AMAZING show. I'm not that familiar with Robyn's stuff, but was utterly mesmerised.

I had a friend from the US staying with me, and she's good friends with Scott McCaughey, and introduced me to the band. I acted like a 14 year old schoolgirl when I met Peter Buck - REM have been a constant in my life for the last 18 (gulp) years since I heard "Orange Crush" on the radio when I was 13. Anyway, he was the perfect gentleman when I asked him to sign my copy of "New Adventures In Hi-Fi". He even remarked 'that one's my favourite too' (actually, my favourite is "... Fables", but I know all the band hate that) and, when I told him my name was Lawrence, remarked that that was his middle name. He came across as the most lovely, geniune guy, and was very friendly and chatty.

I got to hang out backstage with them afterwards, thanks to my visiting American friend. It was funny sitting around in this shitty little room, eating potato chips and drinking beer, and thinking about the kind of backstage treatment someone like Peter Buck must get in REM. Clearly he was doing the Robyn gigs for love, not money.

Listening to The Venus 3, I wondered why the hell Peter didn't play that style of guitar in REM anymore. Whilst there were a few good songs on "Around The Sun" for the most part it sounded like a Michael Stipe solo album, which, I guess, it was in all but name.

Lawrence M