Actor Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy are currently in the middle of their tour where they’re covering R.E.M.’s debut album, Murmur, in full with a backing band that includes drummer Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Bob Mould, Mountain Goats), guitarist Dag Juhlin (Poi Dog Pondering), bassist Nick Macri (The Zinc, C-Clamp), and pianist Vijay Tellis-Nayak.
The tour hit R.E.M.’s hometown of Athens, GA on Thursday night at the city’s legendary 40 Watt Club and all four members of the band — Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe — came out to see the show! There was not a full-on reunion in that they played together again, but they did all come out together on stage at the end of the show, and some members of the band joined in throughout the night.
Bill Berry played piano on “Perfect Circle,” and Mike Mills and Peter Buck both joined for Reckoning‘s “Don’t Go Back to Rockville” and a few others. (While Murmur is the focus of the tour, the band is playing lots more than that.) “We are so fucking thrilled to be here tonight,” Michael Stipe said during his brief appearance on-stage with the other members of R.E.M. You can watch video of that and lots more from the 40 Watt Club show, plus a few pictures (thanks, Doug!), below.
REM posted about the show on their Facebook today:
Last night’s Murmur tribute show at the 40 Watt was one of those nights when we’re all blessed to call Athens home. Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and friends sounded great playing Murmur from start to finish along with all of Chronic Town and select tracks from Reckoning, Fables, Lifes Rich Pageant, Out of Time, and Dead Letter Office. At various points throughout the night, Bill, Peter, and Mike came on stage and joined in on the fun (highlights were Perfect Circle, Pretty Persuasion, Rockville and Letter Never Sent) and Michael came up at the end of the show to say how thrilled he, Bill, Peter, and Mike were to be there. It was a truly great evening spent seeing old friends and listening to a top notch band pay homage to some of the defining music in the band’s early catalog.
Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy bring Murmur and more to Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on Valentine’s Day (2/14).
