May 18, 2001 10:10

THE MOUNTIES ALWAYS GET THEIR 'MAN ON THE MOON'

The band drop several old favourites into their set, including 'South Central Rain' and 'Man On The Moon'...

REM played an hour-and-a-half-long free concert for 25,000 fans in TORONTO yesterday afternoon (May 17).

The band dropped several old hits into the set, according to reports on Allstar news on www.cdnow.com, including 'Losing My Religion', 'The One I Love', 'Man On The Moon', plus an encore of 'South Central Rain' and 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It'.

The rainy lunchtime set opened with current single 'Imitation Of Life', with 'The Great Beyond', 'What's The Frequency Kenneth?' and four songs from new album 'Reveal', which looks set to be the highest new entry in the UK album charts on Sunday - 'All The Way To Reno', 'I've Been High', 'The Lifting' and 'I'll Take The Rain'.

Dressed in a yellow fisherman's hat, shades, blue shirt, jacket and jeans, Michael Stipe bantered with the audience, throwing lyric sheets and fruit into the crowd and, after a fan threw a balloon at the stage, joking: "I've been scared of balloons since I was three years old. You keep your balloons at home, or I'll show you some Stipe."

The gig is to be broadcast in Canada on June 3 by MuchMoreMusic.