R.E.M. Members Appear Together At 40 Watt Club In Athens
All four members of R.E.M. appeared onstage together in the city where they formed 43 years ago.
By Andy Kahn Feb 9, 2024 • 8:07 am PST

The music of R.E.M. was celebrated last night in the city where the band formed in 1980 during a concert at the 40 Watt in Athens, Georgia. The four members of R.E.M. – frontman Michael Stipe, drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist/guitarist Mike Mills – appeared onstage together during the show, which was part of Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy’s tour honoring R.E.M.’s 1983 debut album, Murmur.
Though the four members of R.E.M. were all together onstage at the 40 Watt, Stipe’s appearance was merely to participate in the revelry and he did not sing with the band. Mills, Buck and Berry (on keyboards) did perform with Shannon and Narducy’s band at various points of the concert.
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“I’m speaking on behalf of Bill and Mike and Peter,” Stipe told the audience. “We are so fucking thrilled to be here tonight.”
Berry left the group in 1997 after recovering from a brain aneurysm. The drummer made occasional appearances with the band in the aftermath, including performing at their 2007 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. The other three members continued until R.E.M.’s amicable break up in 2011.
The show featured a complete rendering of Murmur, as well as R.E.M.’s 1982 debut EP, Chronic Town, and other selections. Click through the posts below to watch clips from last night’s R.E.M. reunion in Athens:
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