I was thrilled when finally getting to the stadium where R.E.M. was going to play just a few hours later. I was thrilled for I had wanted to see them in 1995, but the concert in Hannover on June 29th was the first one I would get to see after all.
The gates were opened at 4 p.m. and everyone started running towards the stage that had been built up on a lawn. Everyone tried to get as close as possible and then sat down. The waiting started. The atmosphere was great though, it was like tiny Woodstock, everyone lying on the grass - still dressed though.
Catatonia started playing at about 6 p.m. Somewhat people didn´t like their stuff though and started throwing stuff at them. The singer seemed somewhat insecure and drank heaps of alcohol on stage. Mike Mills sat by the stage, one could see him moving his head to the beats of the music. Suede was fantastic. They played after Catatonia.
Then R.E.M. started playing. Fantastic! The atmosphere was great and Michael apparently had a great time interacting with the crowd. I was thrilled. Most people knew all the lyrics by heart and sang along. I was just a bit disappointed that they did not play "So fast so numb", one of my favourite songs which would have been a great song for a concert, too. I knew they´d played it in other places. It was fantastic though - hopefully not the last time they made it over the great big ocean!