Michael Stipe has been praised as an “unlikely rock God” after appearing on stage with Bruce Springsteen.
The R.E.M. frontman is set to release his first solo album later this year, but during his time with the Man on the Moon hitmakers, Stipe found himself sharing the stage with The Boss. Springsteen and Stipe performed Because the Night, a Patti Smith Group song that has featured recently on the Land of Hope and Dreams tour. Springsteen performs the song as part of a marathon twenty-seven song set on most nights of his North American tour. A performance in 2004 saw Stipe join him for a rendition of the track, which has been praised by those watching a clip of the performance on YouTube.
One viewer wrote: “I am a huge fan of both Springsteen & REM, but Michael Stipe has to be one of the most unlikely rock Gods ever. Stipe is so different, but it’s his peculiarities that make him so good.” Another agreed, adding: “I’m a Springsteen fanatic and this version of Because the Night with Michael Stipe is just awesome.” A third wrote: “I could watch Michael Stipe dance forever.”
Others were complimentary to Stipe but not so nice to Springsteen. One viewer wrote: “Blimey. I feel like I’ve just put my finger in the socket. All hail the gods of the algorithms for bringing me here. Not a massive Springsteen fan, but he and the divine Mr Stipe complement each other perfectly.”
Another added: “As someone who grew up in the 80s and 90s, I didn’t realise how lucky we were in terms of music and vocals. REM, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, U2, Counting Crows, The Cure, INXS, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. All of those acts weren’t just popular; their sounds and vocals were creative/unique/groundbreaking.
“No autotune. No backing tracks. No cheating. They somehow managed to pull off sounding so fresh and different… Without all of their songs sounding the same. It’s such an incredibly difficult thing to pull off.”
A third wrote: “What other singer can inhabit every song and make it their own the way Michael Stipe can? Maybe only Nina Simone? The guy could sing the phone book and bring you to tears.”
Other viewers who claimed to be at the show say Stipe ended up in the crowd for the rest of the performance. A fan claimed: “I was at this show in the pit, and later in the set when Bruce and the band did Born to Run with the house lights up, I turned around and Michael was standing right behind me, rocking out with the rest of us.”
Another fan added: “Wow, never thought I would see Michael Stipe and Bruce Springsteen on the same stage! They killed it!” You can watch Stipe and Springsteen perform Because the Night below.
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