R.E.M. surprised fans recently with a rare live performance in Athens, Georgia on Thursday, February 27. The band kicked off a stunning set at the 40 Watt Club in their hometown, and they whipped out a particularly rare gem: The 1984 R.E.M. classic “Pretty Persuasion” from Reckoning.
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Surprisingly enough, R.E.M. was not the main act. Actor Michael Shannon and indie rock icon Jason Narducy were the headlining act. The duo is currently on a tribute tour to R.E.M.’s legendary album Fables Of The Reconstruction from 1985. The two have been performing the whole of the album during each set of their tour, in addition to a few standout hits from elsewhere in R.E.M.’s discography.
Yesterday, though, fans were shocked when guitarist Peter Buck, drummer Bill Berry, bassist Mike Mills, and lead singer Michael Stipe hit the stage with Shannon and Narducy to perform the R.E.M. hit “Pretty Persuasion”. You can watch a fan-recorded video of the surprise performance below:
R.E.M. Killed Their Performance of “Pretty Persuasion”, But Fans Shouldn’t Expect a Reunion Tour Anytime Soon
It makes sense that Shannon and Narducy would kick off a tribute tour, considering R.E.M. does not perform live that often anymore. The last time the famed alt-rock outfit performed live was in June of last year, which also happened to be their first public performance since way back in 2007. That 2024 performance celebrated the band’s induction into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
While the recent reunion with Shannon and Narducy in Georgia was stellar, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up over a true R.E.M. reunion tour or any new music. The band more or less split up at the beginning of the 2010s, and Michael Stipe gave a good reason for the breakup.
“We decided when we split up that that would be really tacky and probably money grabbing, which might be the impetus for a lot of bands to get back together,” Stipe said in an interview from 2021. “We don’t really need that. And I’m really happy that we have the legacy of 32 years of work that we have from 1980 to 2011.”
We get it. Sometimes, it’s better to let a good thing die naturally.
Photo by Rick Diamond/WireImage
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