Night two of the Minus 5 brought a few great surprises, with fifth guitarist Steve Wynn adding even more mojo to several of the band’s best tunes (including “Lies Of The Living Dead,” “Blue Rickenbacker” and “Aw Shit Man”) and Michael Giblin jumping in on stealth percussion and backing vocals.
But the clear highlight at the White Eagle Hall was R.E.M.’s uber rare “Texarkana” with Mike Mills on lead vocals—the middle track in my all-time favorite three-song run on any album, and the only one I’d never seen performed by anyone—and I loved every second of it. I didn’t know whether to just savor it or analyze the harmonies, but I guess this is exactly why smartphone video was invented.
—M.J. Fine; photos by Chris Sikich