30.08.1985
USA, Passaic, Capitol Theatre
Friday in Passaic
very good Aud.

Disc 1: [1:05:09]
01. Feeling Gravitys Pull [5:38]
02. Harborcoat [3:48]
03. Letter Never Sent [3:11]
04. Hyena [2:56]
05. Maps And Legends [3:47]
06. Fall On Me [2:53]
07. Driver 8 [3:48]
08. Good Advices [3:29]
09. So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry) [4:04]
10. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover) [3:00]
11. Can't Get There From Here [3:31]
12. 7 Chinese Bros. [4:16]
13. Auctioneer (Another Engine) [2:43]
14. Last Date (Floyd Cramer cover) [3:46]
15. Old Man Kensey [4:14]
16. Little America [2:35]
17. Pretty Persuasion [3:33]
18. Life And How To Live It [3:50]
 
Disc 2: [28:20]
01. White Tornado [2:37]
02. Pills (Bo Diddley cover) [1:52]
03. Skip A Rope (Henson Cargill cover) [1:50]
04. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville [4:31]
05. Moral Kiosk [3:09]
06. Singing Cage [1:14]
07. Theme From Two Steps Onward [4:41]
08. Broken Whiskey Glass (Jason & The Scorchers cover) [2:07]
09. Radio Free Europe [3:22]
10. Femme Fatale (Velvet Underground cover) [2:54]

Originally seeded on Dime in August 2005. Reseeded by eckythump 1 December 2019.

Original linage information: Taper unknown. Generation unknown.
Converted from tape by C Stuerk
Speed & Pitch Correction in Audition 1.5>wav>flacfrontend

Michael Stipe - Vocals, harmonica
Peter Buck - Guitar
Mike Mills - Bass, vocals
Bill Berry - Drums, vocals

Show notes:
Many fans (including me) argue 1985 was R.E.M.'s pinnacle for setlists - on the verge of becoming huge, but not huge enough to have to stick to the same formula every night, rarely sticking to planned setlists, obscure covers (and plenty of them!), confronting audience members who heckled, rambling story song introductions (Auctioneer and Old Man Kensey), and a different Michael Stipe haircut for every leg of the tour, 1985 had it all.

The setlists during August 1985 were especially wild, peaking with the infamous 17 August show in Ottawa, Canada (see The R.E.M. Timeline if you don't know it - torrent should still be available on various sites). While the second half of the month wasn't quite as off the rails as that show, most shows featured an array of different cover songs, as well as a brand new song 'Fall On Me' (debuted on 1 August, and was still lacking Mike and Bill's counter melody that sent the song to the next level), and a couple of songs that would have been unknown to the audience unless they'd seen multiple shows ('Hyena' and 'Theme From Two Steps Onward'). Every show was unique - you never knew what the band was going to do or play.

Here at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ (sadly demolished in 1991) this leg of the tour was winding down, with just 1 huge show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to come (they'd come a long way since Zappa's in 1981!), but rather than focus their energy on that huge show, the band tore through 27 songs (28 if you count the a capella 'Singing Cage'), 6 of which were covers. A very enthusiastic audience, another great show, it was obvious this band were destined for even greater things from here.

Torrent notes: 
This leg of the tour was largely recorded by David Thomas, however this show was recorded by someone else who remains unknown. It's a clear and fine sounding recording, though it lacks the 'crispness' of some of David's fantastic recordings from this period, but is very listenable. It was originally seeded to Dime in August 2005, and fell off the tracker a long time ago. I dont recall it ever being reseeded since, and given its relative obscurity in trading circles, deserves a larger audience. I have added an md5 and ffp file as the original torrent didn't have any. Thanks to the taper and original seeder. Enjoy!

Dimeadozen.org: Torrent 663025 (by eckythump)