The Baseball Project squeezed in a San Diego show before the end of the regular 2014 MLB season. The lineup for this evening featured the usual gunslingers, Scott McCaughey and Steve Wynn, alternating lead guitar and singing duties, while Linda Pitmon held everything together behind the drums. On this night it was Mike Mills on the low end, as Mills and his former REM band mate Peter Buck tend to trade-off bass duties for the band’s live dates

While the group obviously belongs to McCaughey and Wynn, Mills was planted center stage for the show. He took his placement in stride, cracking jokes between songs and even requesting a round of beer and tequila for the band shortly before their encore. It was great to see Mills a bit removed and out of his shell from his past, understated presence in REM. It’s obvious that playing clubs is a pleasure for the veteran rocker. His relaxed persona was complimented by the fact that he forgot to bring his bass to the show and had to borrow one from openers Dressy Bessy. Besides providing backing vocals, Mills took a turn singing lead on “To the Veteran’s Committee,” one of the standout songs of the night.

The crowd was the expected mix of hardcore baseball fans and music nerds. It took a bit to get everyone moving, but “The Day Dock Went Hunting Heads,” “Hola America,” and “Monument Park” managed to do the trick. By the time the group blasted through the final song of their main set, “Past Time,” they had the crowd swaying to their trademark anthem.

• Band: The Baseball Project
• Date: September 4, 2014
• Venue: Soda Bar
• Seat: Floor