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Wilco and R.E.M. Saturday, Sept. 6; 8pm; $55.50 reserved/$35 general Shoreline Amphitheatre, One Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View; 408.998.TIXS If the show is anything like the band's last couple of passes through, R.E.M.'s set will comprise a blend of new tracks, hits and classics. What's always interesting is its choice in opening acts. From Sonic Youth and Olivia Tremor Control to Mercury Rev and Spacehog, R.E.M.'s openers have been club- to theater-size headliners in their own right. Wilco, which opens this time around, set off a Craigslist frenzy back in January when it did a Great American Music Hall show and a private concert for Wired at Ruby Skye in advance of an Australian tour. While the band was searching for a new, post-Reprise label home, it streamed Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on its website. The making of YHF, an exquisite exploration in experimental pop, is documented on I Am Trying to Break Your Heart by photographer and first-time director Sam Jones. It was released on DVD last month and received deluxe two-disc treatment with 70 minutes of previously unseen footage, including 17 additional songs, a 40-page booklet and a featurette appropriately titled I Am Trying to Make a Film. A highlight of the January Music Hall show that we hope will be included in Wilco's shorter opening set for R.E.M was a goth version of its "Heavy Metal Drummer" from YHF. Instead of a wistful sing-along rock tune, the band turned into a dirge, with the names of hair-metal groups usually mentioned in concert (Krokus, Winger, Stryper, etc. ) switched to groups such as Bauhaus and Fields of the Nephilim. Following the regular version of the song, it showed that the Chicago boys have still retained their famed sense of humor regardless of how experimental and "artsy" some may feel they've become. (Yoshi Kato) Summer Music Guide 2003 Summer Sonic: This summer, Good Charlotte's Joel Madden looks forward to touring and working on his '65 Chevy. Perry-patetic: Lollapalooza's Perry Farrell attempts to recapture the spirit of 1991. Modern Love: The 1983 Day on the Green with the Police, the Fixx, Madness, Oingo Boingo, and the Thompson Twins blew open the alternative-rock movement in the Bay Area. Plus: an interview with Fixx frontman Cy Curnin. Ozzfest 2003: With Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Disturbed and Chevelle. Shoreline. Summer Sanitarium: With Metallica, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and Deftones. Candlestick. Wilco and R.E.M: Shoreline. Björk: Pier 30/32. Stanford Jazz Festival: With the Branford Marsalis Trio, alumni from Cal Tjader's groups, James Williams, Madeline Eastman, Dena DeRose and Geri Allen's Ensemble. Dinkelspiel Auditorium and Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford University. Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival: With Nneena Freelon, the Count Basie Orchestra, Greg Osby, ¡Cubanismo!, the Yellowjackets, Jimmy Heath and Ledisi. Dinkelspiel Auditorium and Campbell Recital Hall, Stanford University. India.Arie: Montalvo. Beck/Dashboard Confessional: Greek Theatre. The Dixie Chicks: HP Pavilion. Lou Reed: Mountain Winery. Shows: From Agenda to Zoë. Summer Festival Guide: Art, wine and more. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]