Watch: Michael Stipe Joins Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy for “Pretty Persuasion” in Brooklyn
On Saturday, March 8, Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy rolled into New York for the final East Coast performance of their Fables of the Reconstruction tribute tour. Onstage at Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Brooklyn Steel, the duo brought on yet another highlight of their outing celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s iconic 1985 album with yet another guest-spot, this time welcoming Michael Stipe for the show-closer.
Shannon and Narducy set up in Brooklyn with the same two-part program that’s been making waves as they’ve wound across the country. For their first act, the duo and backing ensemble revive Fables of the Reconstruction in all its 11-track glory; on Saturday, this frame was punctuated by their nightly cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale.” With their second set, the band dug up fan favorites and rarities from throughout R.E.M.’s sprawling catalog, covering tracks like “Romance,” “Harborcoat,” “Daysleeper,” “7 Chinese Brothers,” “Gardening at Night,” “1,000,000,” “World Leader Pretend,” “Camera,” “So. Central Rain,” “Cuyahoga” and “Radio Free Europe.”
To bring the show to a close, Shannon and Narducy invited the eminent Stipe to the stage, where the icon treated his home city to a powerful performance of “Pretty Persuasion.”
Stipe’s sit-in followed an unexpected R.E.M. onstage reunion at Athens, Ga.’s 40 Watt Club on Feb. 27, where the frontman was joined by Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry for their first really public performance since 2007–though they joined forces at the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony last June. Watch a fan-recorded video from Saturday below, and read about the Athens set here.
On Monday, March 3, Michael Stipe took part in the 38th Annual Tibet House Benefit Concert, where he shared a chilling cover of “The Man Who Sold the World” and performed alongside Laurie Anderson and Tenzin Choegyal. Learn more about the event here.
