Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
June 15, 2008
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” has a utility in R.E.M.’s live repertoire, and it’s been the same since very, very early on in their career: You are getting rained on, and they are playing the song because they kinda feel bad for you. It’s a bit funny, it’s a bit jerky. Earlier this evening I happened to be at an R.E.M. show that was delayed by a severe, torrential rain storm. Inevitably, they started the show with the song, and then it kept raining and it didn’t stop until the final notes of the last song of the night. In case you were wondering: Yes, I most definitely saw the rain.
Pop Songs 07-08 
June 15, 2008 at 2:43 am
wasn’t it a beautiful show? my expectations were blown out of the..er.. water. the rain made them much more spontaneous and loose and I think we got a great performance because of it. (the last time I saw them – 2004 at MSG the night after Bush got reelected – was awful)
June 15, 2008 at 2:54 am
File under….rain?
I have this on a scratchy old bootleg and was quite surprised by them covering it at the time. Time would reveal they had aspirations to write many rain songs themselves. The version I have certainly wouldn’t replace the original, but cover songs seem to be a way of saying ‘thank you’ to your influences. I reckon.
June 15, 2008 at 2:58 am
I was dying laughing when this happened. I told my friend while we were waiting in the corridor “I wonder if they’ll play the CCR song tonight.” Sure enough, they did. Priceless, especially letting Mike Mills sing a bit of it too.
June 15, 2008 at 11:01 am
I also saw them last night and at MSG in 2004… another show where they decided to play ITEOTWAWKI even though they weren’t playing it before. Great show overall and I was psyched to hear CCR b/c I’ve never heard them do it live before.
I loved when Stipe announced, “This is the encore” and said something about there being no point to leaving and coming back on and Mills chimed in, “Yeah, we might fall.” heh
June 15, 2008 at 11:49 am
I just saw the setlist that the band were going to play if it had not been fucked by rain, and…it makes me want to cry. Or die. I don’t know.
June 15, 2008 at 11:52 am
What a crazy show! It had its ups and downs… I really liked the spontaneity the guys showed on stage, and I am quite certain that I’ve never seen Michael talk that much.
But I thought the crowd was very disappointing. I know the rain was awful (and insane, and even literally scary), but I couldn’t help but feel the crowd seemed docile… and old.
PS: His comments on “I’ll Take the Rain” (“It’s plodding, and 7 minutes long. You really don’t want to hear it.”) were hilarious.
June 15, 2008 at 12:02 pm
PS: Matthew, where can I find that setlist? If it includes “Find the River” or “Wolves, Lower”, I probably don’t wanna know.
June 15, 2008 at 12:03 pm
This is the original setlist:
These Days
Living Well
kenneth
*Heron House
Man sized wreath
1,000,000
South Central Rain
* Strange Currencies
Ignoreland
Hollowman
* Animal
Welcome to the Occupation
Houston
Electrolite
horse to Water
one i Love
* Until the day is Done
Let me In
Bad Day
* Life and how to Live It
Orange Crush
I’m gonna DJ
_______________________________-
Supernatural
Losing my religion
* Harborcoat
* imitation of Life
* nightswimming
fall on me
man on the Moon
This is what they played:
Have You Ever Seen The Rain?
So. Central Rain
These Days
Living Well
Kenneth
Man Sized Wreath
1000000
Ignoreland
Hollow Man
Occupation
Houston
Electrolite
Horse To Water
One I Love
Let Me In
Bad Day
Orange Crush
I’m Gonna DJ
—————
Supernatural
Religion
End O World
Fall On Me
Man on the Moon
Words cannot express how bummed I feel about being cheated out of Heron House. Oh god, and Harborcoat and Life and How To Live It and Strange Currencies. Ugh.
June 15, 2008 at 12:31 pm
but why should the rain afffect the setlist that much ?I mean it’s not like they switched to a bunch of acoustic songs; oh , I guess it just made it shorter.
Jared, being old is not a disease or an affliction or a shortcoming or a defect in character 🙂 Someday you’ll understand …..if you’re lucky…….
June 15, 2008 at 12:32 pm
They had to cut down the time, Scott.
June 15, 2008 at 12:37 pm
still sounds like a great show, not as what it should be but I am glad you all were able to go.
the closest to florida is Atlanta, and I do not think I can make it up there this year. Well we had the festival as unofficial day one, but I missed that as well. Sucks to be me…
June 15, 2008 at 12:40 pm
and you big shot eastern folks can catch them again at MSG in a couple days!!!
June 15, 2008 at 1:22 pm
ok
age IS a shortcoming AND an affliction
but not a disease or a defect in character
wasn’t there a somewhat major artist (guitar player?) who was seriously shocked (killed?) a few years back during rain at an outdoor show ?……I seem to have this vague memory of this but I can’t place it.
June 15, 2008 at 9:28 pm
You might be thinking of the scene in “Almost Famous”, which my friend and I referred to last night.
In all supernatural superseriousness, I really though there was a chance (albeit small) that lighting would strike the stage and it would be the end of R.E.M as we know it… I was seriously kinda concerned.
I’m depressed about the setlist. Harborcoat, Heron House, and Nightswimming… sigh. Even Strange Currencies has a personal connection for me.
As for age comment, I’m in my 30s… I don’t think age is an affliction. I just felt the vibe around me was: “I’m wet and I wanna go home ASAP” and not “Wow this wild and crazy, let’s get into it!” I think any age is capable of feeling the latter.
Look, REM’s been around for 25+ years. Of course their fan base will run the age gamut. I was just hoping for a little youthfulness from some of the older folks. If you can’t ‘kick it out on the dance floor like you just don’t care’ at an REM concert, then when can you?
June 16, 2008 at 9:50 am
But Let Me In was really good, was it not?
I’ve heard them cover this song on some bootleg or other. I think I had a bootleg of a collection of live covers and this was on it. Hilarious that they still dust it off.
June 16, 2008 at 10:41 am
Bah, it rained when I saw them in Gorge, Washington a couple weeks ago at the Sasquatch Festival too! Buck slipped and fell on his ass walking out, inspiring a recovery wave and great cheers. Throughout the opener, Stipe stripped his shoes and socks, throwing them into the crowd, and did the show barefoot as to prevent slipping on the wet stage. “I’m not wearing any socks or shoes, does that make me a hippie?” he asked. “…k, just making sure my street cred is still in tact.”
Then some dude yelled “thehn dhon’t wear a shuit and tie, bud!@!’, killing the moment a tad.
June 16, 2008 at 11:34 am
But you got “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”, MP! I know that’s little recompense for missing “Harborcoat” or “Life and How to Live It”. I was bummed the show I caught didn’t feature “Disturbance at the Heron House” or “Ignoreland”. And I’ve seen “Departure” and “Mr. Richards” on subsequent sets, too. Damn it all!
There’s a nice performance of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” on the band’s Rockpalast appearance from 1985. Stipe obviously doesn’t know the words, but the way he sings the chorus is beautiful. And those vintage R.E.M. harmonies…
June 16, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Believe me – There were a few of us old geezers up front dancing our asses off. It may not have been pretty – but we were having a blast. I think Jones Beach is probably a little calmer than most venues anyway, due to the lack of alcohol. Old + sober + wet = calmer crowd.
June 16, 2008 at 11:17 pm
I don’t know – sounds like fun to me. That’s the sort of show I’d like to see them do (if they ever get off their asses and get down here). Didn’t realize that they still drag this one out every now and then – I’ll have to get some more updated bootlegs!
Question – Why do outdoor shows?
June 17, 2008 at 1:36 am
the same reason UFO’s have lights
because it’s dark in outer space 🙂
June 17, 2008 at 9:52 am
She’s Victorian. Outdoor is a health hazard there.
Perth however has a fantastically mild climate not dissimilar to California I believe. Great for touring bands ANY TIME OF YEAR!
GUYS?
June 17, 2008 at 10:07 am
You guys should remind them about the Koalas. And that ferral kid from Mad Max. You want them to care, don’t you?
June 18, 2008 at 1:14 am
Hey, it hasn’t rained here for months!
June 18, 2008 at 10:34 pm
A sure fire method to get some rain is to get a bicycle Kirsten. Every
time you want to head out for a ride you can be guaranteed of a little shower.
June 19, 2008 at 12:42 am
I thought about riding a bike home from work (to get home quicker), but there are just too many hills here!
June 19, 2008 at 8:53 pm
hitch a ride in a UFO
June 19, 2008 at 9:12 pm
As you personal trainer, I suggest hill climbs are great for strengthening the heart and toning the legs.
Even if you push the bike up the hill, it’s still faster than public transport.
June 19, 2008 at 11:02 pm
There isn’t much public transport here – we’re to far from civilisation! And I do walk up the hills, I just struggle on a bike. And pushing it up hill is just imbarrassing. Maybe I could get a Moped….
June 19, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Almost as embarrassing as my typing skills.
June 20, 2008 at 10:06 am
I have to say that crowd really redeemed themselves at Madison Square Garden last night. TERRIFIC show. The most energy I have ever seen at an REM show, actually…
September 11, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Still was the most amazing show ever. Of all songs to chop off, Nightswimming?! It’s pouring rain at midnight and you don’t play nightswimming? Oh well. But in response to Jared’s comment, granted I’m 18 and so were all my friends, but after almost dying during modest mouse (in the upper deck 20 feet from the lightening, got sparks rained on us), we were all in the vibe of this is fucking awesome! We’re wet, we almost died, lets stand in the rain some more! We moved down so much cause all the lame old geezers left.
Check out my blog entry on the show: lowdenconcert.blogspot.com