the best place to see show's by my reckoning is the bluebird in nashville and the house of blues in myrtle beach. after going there, i really don't want to see a show elsewhere- and will wait until the band comes to either.
REM was a great band- but not near as great as their lead man thought he was. David Grohl from foo fighters is just plain badass- that goofy song they did when they first got together that had a video mocking a mento's commercial severely limited how serious i took them until later, but i'm glad i came around and gave them another shot. He is an amazing artist.
one of the things i am really diggin' on, at least in concept, is the 'home concert' thing some artists are doing... basically a bunch of people get together and decide who they want to see- then collect the $ either via tickets or donation- and seek contract with the artist. somebody offers up their home for the show, and there you have it. If i didn't live on the edge of the earth, i'd do it in a heartbeat... set them up outside and let the drinks flow freely from the bar...