After being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, R.E.M. surprised attendees with their first performance together in 15 years. Michael Stipe accepted the induction on behalf of the band, stating that “writing songs and having a catalog of work that we’re all proud of that is out there for the rest of the world for all time is hands-down the most important aspect of what we did.”
Despite the joke that it would take a “comet” for the band to reunite, the surprise performance marks a shift from previous comments made by band members indicating that it was unlikely they would perform together again. Prior to the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony, R.E.M. sat down for their first interview as a group in 30 years with CBS.
The performance, which involved the band pulling out acoustic instruments, included a rendition of their hit song “Losing My Religion.” The last time the band performed publicly together was in 2009. However, R.E.M. reunited without performing in February of this year during a tribute to their first album, “Murmur.”
Following R.E.M.’s breakup in 2011, drummer Bill Berry reunited with the group a few times in the 2000s. However, despite Mills revealing in December 2021 that there are “plenty of vault songs” yet to be released from R.E.M.’s catalogue, Buck stated in 2022 that the band’s split was permanent, a sentiment echoed by Stipe in 2021
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