For the first time in over a decade, I was pretty excited to hear the new R.E.M. songs live going into a concert. Alas, that excitement only lasted for one song. After the kick-starting opener “Living Well Is the Best Revenge,” which also opens the “Accelerate” album, the Georgia boys dove straight into two of my favorite deep-album cuts from the late-80s, “These Days” and “Disturbance at the Heron House.” From there on out, I had a serious itch for more lesser-known oldies, and the band pretty well scratched it, turning out “West of the Fields,” “Shaking Through” (both from 1983’s “Murmur”), ”Auctioneer,” “Sweetness Follows” and, during the encore, “Welcome to the Occupation.”

After a decade of mediocre albums, which has whittled down its audience to half of what it was, R.E.M. seemed to be rewarding the fans who stuck around. Or maybe the reward was for the band members themselves. They weren’t required to play every single one of their hits with this crowd. Never mind “Stand” or “Shiny Happy People,” both of which they haven’t played in years (thank God!), they didn’t play “Everybody Hurts,” “Orange Crush,” “Drive” or even — gasp! — “It’s the End of the World As We Know It.” That really might be a sign of the apocalypse. Amazingly, before the encore they had only played three songs that ever got any substantial radio play.

When Michael Stipe told the first-timers in the crowd (he had them raise their hands) that a lot of the set list was made up of old songs, everyone else in the crowd cheered. “I don’t know how to interpret that,” he sheepishly laughed. Stipe genuinely laid down the love during the encore, when he said, “Minneapolis and St. Paul holds a dear place in our hearts. We have a lot of memories here, not only in this building but all around town.” Awww!

Look for Jon Bream’s review for the print edition at www.startribune.com/music. Here’s the set list:

Living Well Is the Best Revenge* / These Days / Disturbance at the Heron House / What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? / Hollow Man* / Shaking Through / Man-Sized Wreath* / West of the Fields / Accelerate* / Ignoreland / Star 69 / Auctioneer / Houston* / Electrolite / The One I Love / Final Straw / Sweetness Follows / Let Me In (performed acoustic in a circle around the piano) / Walk Unafraid / Horse to Water* / Bad Day / I’m Gonna DJ*

ENCORE: Supernatural Superserious* / Welcome to the Occupation / Losing My Religion / Fall on Me (performed w/ Johnny Marr on guitar) / Man on the Moon

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