All Members of R.E.M. Turn up at Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy’s ‘Murmur’ Tribute in Athens

Last night, Feb. 8, Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy paid tribute to R.E.M.’s debut 1983 set, Murmur, at the 40 Watts Club in Athens, Ga., notably, the Peach State foursome’s hometown. During the night, all original members turned up at the historic venue, which holds deep band roots, with Mike Mills, Bill Berry and Peter Buck sitting in on select numbers; Michael Stipe was also in attendance, addressing the crowd at the end of the event. 

Solidifying the experience and adding their own lens to the event, R.E.M. took to their official Facebook page, sharing photos and noteworthy moments from the headline-grabbing affair. “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.”

Recapping the special night, the band continued, “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.”

As previously mentioned, Berry sat behind the piano, adding to the night’s rendition of “Perfect Circle.” Fellow band originators Mills and Buck joined in for fan favorite, “Don’t Go Back to Rockville,” followed by a brief appearance from Stipe, who said, “We are so fucking thrilled to be here tonight.” Notable, the frontman did not add vocals during the evening’s collaborative moments. 

Following the unique nature of last night’s gig, Shannon and Narducy will bring their next live show to the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, N.C., this evening, Friday. Feb. 9. 

See the band’s post via Facebook below.

Previously this year, Berry spoke with Relix, read more here. Also covered was The Baseball Project, featuring comments from Mills.