Unsure R.E.M. loses its footing

R.E.M. is America’s U2. These guys are our big, bold modern rock band that somehow transcended genre and ended up on classic rock radio smack in the middle of Tom Petty and Kansas.
Can we show some patriotism and get behind them enough to have them sell out 20,000 seats?
Or maybe that’s all wrong. Maybe R.E.M. is still a little band from Athens, Ga., who got lucky and are best-suited to the tiny rock clubs and all-ages shows at pizza parlors.



So which is it? Rock gods or underground kids playing at superstars?
At last night’s nearly sold-out Comcast Center show, not even R.E.M. seemed to know.
One thing’s sure: Michael Stipe is America’s Bono. Stipe’s got all the charisma, charm and force of U2’s frontman, but he’s got America’s childish insecurities - which act-ually makes him way more interesting.
Stipe sold “Horse to Water,” one of the gems off the new album “Accelerate,” like a true arena rock anthem. With a hook massive enough to capture the whole crowd, Stipe made the tune kick, punch and explode in front of thousands - and it felt great.
A song later, Stipe tried to use that same charm and unflappable optimism to turn “The One I Love” into epic rock. But it’s not. It’s sublime and intimate. It’s ruined when it’s inflated and joyous.
All night long, R.E.M. tried to play off classic-but-small indie rock ’80s material as big stadium numbers. From “Cuyahoga” to “Fall on Me” to “Driver 8,” they kept at it. But “Driver 8” ain’t “Carry on My Wayward Son,” no matter how much new drummer Bill Rieflin rushed it.
It’s unfair to blame Stipe. Neither bassist Mike Mills nor guitarist Peter Buck provide the counterpoint Stipe needs. Basically, he’s got edge, but no Edge.
And maybe it’s unfair to complain at all. New song “Hollow Man” was beyond brilliant, while “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” raised the roof - even without reverb.
And everyone seemed delighted to hear closer “Man on the Moon” with ax man Johnny Marr, of opener Modest Mouse and formerly of The Smiths. Maybe R.E.M. is happy with its strange split personality.
Modest Mouse is not a band divided. Frontman Isaac Brock and co-guitarist Marr led the band through a berserker set ranging from the jerky 2007 single “Dashboard” to live favorite “Paper Think Walls.”
Just to make sure no one confused Modest Mouse for a pop band like R.E.M., Brock shouted way more than usual and played one feedback solo with his teeth.
The National opened the night before a crowd of a few hundred. One of indie rock’s biggest buzz bands, the National has no place on the Comcast stage. See them in at the Paradise next time they come to town.
jgottlieb@bostonherald.com