All gloating aside (OK, maybe a little gloating), last night’s Vote for Change concert–though lengthy–was worth every precious penny.

We kicked off the night in a serious seat upgrade, thanks to one of my cohorts with friends in high places. Instead of nosebleed row, we scored seats in the 100 level, left stage. We were in the last row right in front of a suite that was home to Washington’s favorite news man, Tim Russert. Apparently Tim likes Bruce, too. We also managed to snag a top-secret, high-security set list, so we knew beforehand who was going on when and singning what.

If you didn’t get to see the show on the Sundance channel, there’s a pretty good review on Entertainment Weekly. My own personal impressions of the show:

Personally, I was completely blown away by both REM and Bruce Springsteen. Never having seen either in concert, both performed their sets with boundless energy that drew the entire crowd (remember, this is a stodgy Washington crowd) to their feet. I especially enjoyed watching Michael Stipe, who really and truly seems like a crazy person on stage. He strutted on in this white suit that made him look ganglier than usual, and dancing around the stage spastically, I thought he looked more like Elastic Man.

I wasn’t wowed by the REM/Springsteen version of “Man on the Moon,” mostly because Springsteen’s style just didn’t seem to fit the song. But Stipe fronting the E street for “Because the Night” was awesome and seemed like they’ve always played together.

The other hugely awesome pairing–Springsteen brought out John Fogarty and they churned out the most intense version of CCR’s “Fortunate Son” I’ve ever heard.

Pearl Jam was a huge disappointment. Our program listed only one song they planned to sing, “Better Man,” which happens to be my all-time favorite PJ number. They blew it off, though, playing four songs I’d never even heard of. Their set was so lame that the entire crowd sat down during their entire performance. Only a duet with Tim Robbins brought folks to their feet, and even that was short-lived.

Robbins, by the way, looked so out of place on the stage. He was like a scarecrow in a pumpkin patch, towering over Vedder and the other Jammers, moving uncomfortably with the music. I didn’t even know he could sing, but apparently he and Vedder go way back, and Robbins even has his own band, Gob Roberts. Think I’ll skip that one.

Other snoozers–Who the heck are Jurassic Five? Never heard of them. Didn’t recognize their songs, either. Was also completely bored by Bonnie Raitt/Keb’ Mo’/Jackson Browne set.

Other highlights from the the night–the Dixie Chicks with James Taylor singing “Sweet Baby James” were phenomenal. DMB was in typical good form, though they were the most anti-social of the bunch, not bringing on any “special guests” to sing with them. I would have liked to have seen their band jam with one of the other big headliners. John Mellencamp was impressive if low-key (and does anyone know why he looks like an old, withered Mark Wahlberg these days??).

And, of course, the finale (which had a very “We are the World” kind of feel to it) was punctuated by Stipe’s stripping off of his Jacket to reveal a Kerry t-shirt. He spent the rest of the show not singing, but running around the stage, tugging on his shirt to show it off to the cheering crowd.

If only all concerts were so fun.