REM dodge lightning at outdoor concert

A recent outdoor REM concert in New York was delayed for more than an hour after the stage was struck by lightning.

Thousands of fans, crammed into the Nikon at Jones Beach auditorium on June 14, were soaked by a storm that passed over the coastal venue, and just as the band prepared to take to the stage, a scaffolding pole was hit by a lightning bolt, sending sparks flying.

When Michael Stipe and his bandmates eventually made their way out, the frontman cheered up sodden audience members by belting out a cover version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Who'll Stop the Rain?' and doing impressions of getting hit by lightning himself.