R.E.M. at Jones Beach ... in the rain ...

Yours truly and friends had the privilege of seeing REM this past Saturday at Jones Beach. This is one concert I will never forget.

It had been raining REALLY REALLY hard during our drive out to Jones Beach that afternoon but it had stopped by 7 PM which is when we got there. That's about when the show started. The opening acts were The National and Modest Mouse and they were awesome. I must admit to being unfamiliar with their music but I dug it.

About two hours into the show, just as the opening acts were finishing up, there began to be a series of lightening flashes. Then -- as they might have said on the old "Batman" show -- KAPOWWWWWWWW! -- a bolt of lightening hit the theater in a blinding flash. The rain, which had been drizzling for a bit, transmogrified into a monsoon, dumping an ocean on us. Our umbrellas were useless in the onslaught.

Over the PA system they urged us to evacuate and head to our cars!?!?! Off we went, streaming into the crowd, my beloved and I getting separated from our friends. Cells phones and serendipity re-united us downstairs and, with the rest of the crowd, we waited for about an hour until they let us go back up to our seats.

It was still raining, but a little less intensely, when REM took the stage about a quarter after ten. Michael Stipe said "Welcome to REM Survivor 2008!" The band immediately launched into "Have you ever seen the Rain?" -- hahaha -- and then played several songs off their new album "Accelerate." In between then new songs and Michael Stipe making a variety of rain related jokes -- "You guys look like garbage bags from here!" -- they played some of the classics like "What's the Frequency Kenneth", "Losing My Religion", and the "It's the End of the World As We Know It" (see above). Regardless of the weather, it was an excellent show. Jones Beach is a great venue, with a beautiful view of the beach and water, the lights glittering in the night sky. While the rain was a burden at time, it also managed to give everything a romantic aura and vibe.

We left around midnight, soaked and happy.