R.E.M. have broken up

[intedomine]

"She says Dad's the one I love the most, but Stipe's not far behind"

[Diemen]

Originally Posted by lazarus

Please don't move us to Out Of Control again.

[kramwest1]

Originally Posted by The Panther

One nice thing about R.E.M. is that their releases were very consistent from 1983 to 1996 (or even later). So, I don't really care which album is "the best", I just enjoy the catalogue.

This. This. This.

I will argue for Eponymous, but really, I can pop in any CD of that era and be happy.
(Well, no I can't because they are on my iPod now and the CDs boxed-up in my basement.)

[MissVelvetDress_75]

[Maoilbheannacht]

Here are a few boxscores from R.E.M.'s tour in 2008 which is now their final tour.

May 31, June 1, 2008
Berkeley California
Hearst Greek Theatre
GROSS: $829,239
ATTENDANCE: 14,600
SHOWS: 2
SELLOUTS: 2
Average Ticket Price: $56.80

June 19, 2008
New York, New York
Madison Square Garden
GROSS: $941,347
ATTENDANCE: 13,446
SHOWS: 1
SELLOUTS: 1
Average Ticket Price: $70.01

June 21, 2008
Atlanta Georgia
Lakewood Amphitheatre
GROSS: $702,555
ATTENDANCE: 13,317
CAPACITY: 18,849
SHOWS: 1
SELLOUTS: 0
Average Ticket Price: $52.76

[MrPryck2U]

Ok, see if you can find out what's wrong with your boxscores.

[lazarus]

What's wrong with them is that they're being posted.

[MrPryck2U]

Originally Posted by lazarus

What's wrong with them is that they're being posted.

Well, that too. Obviously the dates and shows are wrong as well.

[Maoilbheannacht]

Here is the set list for what has become R.E.M.'s last concert ever. (provided they don't do a reunion tour)

18 November 2008 - Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
support: Los Concorde
set: Living Well Is The Best Revenge / I Took Your Name / What's The Frequency, Kenneth? / Fall On Me / Drive / Man-Sized Wreath / Ignoreland / Disturbance At The Heron House / Hollow Man / Imitation Of Life / Electrolite / The Great Beyond / Everybody Hurts / The One I Love / Find The River / Let Me In / Bad Day / Horse To Water / Orange Crush / It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
encore: Supernatural Superserious / Losing My Religion / I Believe / Country Feedback / Life And How To Live It / Man On The Moon

[Maoilbheannacht]

Originally Posted by MrPryck2U

Ok, see if you can find out what's wrong with your boxscores.

Is that better for you?

[Maoilbheannacht]

Originally Posted by lazarus

What's wrong with them is that they're being posted.

Oh no, is that a crime?

[MrPryck2U]

Originally Posted by Maoilbheannacht

Is that better for you?

Not even close. They didn't play the Garden in 2011. And if MSG were sold out, the attendance wouldn't be 13,000 plus. It would be closer to 20,000 in attendance.


Plus, obviously, the dates are wrong anyway.

[Maoilbheannacht]

Originally Posted by MrPryck2U

Not even close. They didn't play the Garden in 2011. And if MSG were sold out, the attendance wouldn't be 13,000 plus. It would be closer to 20,000 in attendance.


Plus, obviously, the dates are wrong anyway.

Um, did you look at the boxscores again? The 2011 dates were corrected to 2008.

A concert is marked as soldout on Billboard Boxscores Boxscore chart IF the number of tickets put on sell to the public are all sold. Does not matter if its 2,000 , 5,000 or 20,000, as long as all the tickets that were released to be sold to the public are sold, it is marked as a sellout. It does not matter if there are 5,000 empty seats in the venue. This is the official way it has been done since Amusement Business and Billboard began tracking the concert industry in 1976.

The dates are correct. R.E.M. played the Garden on June 19 and Lakewood on June 21, as well as Berkeley theater on May 31 and June 1.

But if you think I'm making this up, you can go here Music News, Reviews, Articles, Information, News Online & Free Music | Billboard.com . Go to the July 19, 2008 issue of Billboard and scroll down to the blue boxscore chart. The Garden and Berkley shows are near the bottom. The August 2, 2008 issue has the Lakewood show.

For the Madison Square Garden show, R.E.M. probably did not use behind stage seating which is normal. Attendance probably should have been 14,000 for every physical seat to have been sold in that configeration, but again, its not the number of seats filled in the venue which counts towards a sellout, but the number of tickets released to the public which are sold. Any tickets held back or not printed up don't count in measuring whether the show is soldout or not. Thats the way the industry has done it since 1976.

The Cure actually played Madison Square Garden the day after R.E.M. . Here is how they did with their boxscore:

The Cure
June 20, 2008
New York, New York
Madison Square Garden
GROSS: $808,014
ATTENDANCE: 13,486
SHOWS: 1
SELLOUTS: 1
Average Ticket Price: $59.92

Very similar to R.E.M.'s show except the Cure charged less for tickets. The number of tickets they released was also 40 more than R.E.M. and all were sold to the public achieving in industry terms what is considered a "sellout".

Oh and here is Iron Maiden 4 days before R.E.M. at the Garden.

Iron Maiden
June 15, 2008
New York, New York
Madison Square Garden
GROSS: $906,003
ATTENDANCE: 13,766
SHOWS: 1
SELLOUTS: 1
Average Ticket Price: $65.82

[lazarus]

Yawn.

[IWasBored]

statistics are great. bend them to say whatever you want, but someone can always just interpret them as the exact opposite to prove their point using the same numbers. the bible is fun like that, too. of course, in order to know what that point is, i'd have to actually read those posts. now where is the ignore feature?

[MrPryck2U]

Well, you just had a typo. No biggie. I've been to the Garden for plenty of shows and usually the attendance is close to 20K. Guess it just didn't seem accurate.

[Diemen]

Friggin cobbler, look what you've enabled.

[cobl04]

Originally Posted by Maoilbheannacht

Oh no, is that a crime?

You didn't get that impression when the idiotic thread with moggio was closed? No one gives a fuck.

[The_acrobat]

Also it should be noted that REM played a show at the 15,000 capacity Jones Beach Amphitheater (or whatever corporate name it has now) in the NYC area in June of 2008, which was supposedly nearly full. Sadly, they just weren't a big concert draw. Which is strange, because they were so popular in the late 80s and throughout the 90s. In 2003 I saw them at a 20,000 seat amphitheater outside of Cleveland, and it was probably half full.

It's a shame, because they really were an awesome live band. They rotated their setlists so that each concert was different, and they really would play just about anything from their back catalog. Of course they have their own set of "warhorses", but The R.E.M. Timeline will show you that they truly put thought into their setlists and live shows. I'm so sad I'll never see them again!

[lazarus]

Uhh, this is the band that played Ignoreland every night on their last tour, one of the worst songs I've ever heard from a good band.