Watch Michael Shannon Cover R.E.M.’s “Driver 8” on Jimmy Fallon

Michael Shannon is primarily known as the actor who can strike the fear of God into viewers. Needless to say, he is impeccable at his craft and his notable films include Take Shelter, Knives Out, and Nocturnal Animals. Aside from the contents of this article, you should really give his films a watch. Anyways, the other night, Shannon showcased himself as a Renaissance man on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon by covering an R.E.M. classic.

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Joining Shannon on stage was musician, Jason Narducy, of the punk band, Verboten. Both figures killed the covered and performed an uncanny rendition of the 1985 R.E.M hit single, “Driver 8.” Surely a lot of you are thinking this is a rather random performance. Well, first off, Shannon is a multifaceted artist, and secondly, he has been playing music alongside Narducy for some time now.

Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy’s R.E.M. Love Affair

Unbeknownst to many, Michael Shannon is in fact a professional touring musician, and his partner in crime is Jason Narducy. That being so, their appearance on Fallon was not an arbitrary cameo. Rather, the duo took to the televised stage to promote their upcoming 2025 tour. Now, Shannon and Narducy don’t create their own music, rather they just pay homage by covering R.E.M’s songs and albums.

Previously, the duo hit the road in February of 2024 to celebrate 40 years of the rock band’s music. On the tour, Shannon and Narducy played songs primarily from R.E.M.’s debut album, Murmur. Matter of fact, the band actually played a show in Athens, Georgia alongside the original line-up.

Given the success the two had with the first tour, they are set to take off on their second one starting February 15 in Pioneertown, California. The setlist and shows will mainly consist of songs from the band’s third studio album, Fables Of The Reconstruction. The tour will end on March, 14 in Chicago.

Shannon and Narducy’s covers are fantastic, and their appearance on Jimmy Fallon proves just that. To some, this might seem a bit odd, but hey, leave to it Michael Shannon to pay his respects to the one and only, R.E.M..

Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank