Watch: R.E.M. Stage Impromptu Reunion in Athens with Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy
On Thursday, Feb. 27, Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy touched down at Athens, Ga.’s 40 Watt Club to bring their Fables of the Reconstruction tribute tour back to where it all started. The unlikely duo of the acclaimed actor and indie veteran are now halfway through their outing celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s iconic 1985 album, following a 2024 series honoring the same landmark occasion for Murmur. Last year, Shannon and Narducy’s Athens stop elicited rotating sit-ins from each member of the commended quartet. Last night, the band upped the ante with a proper–if impromptu–onstage reunion for “Pretty Persuasion.”
Shannon and Narducy set off their performance at the iconic punk venue by playing through Fables of the Reconstruction in its entirety, with an early appearance from drummer Bill Berry on the album closer “Wendell Gee.” The evening’s second act saw the band unearth selected favorites from R.E.M.’s broader catalog–plus a salute to fellow Athens innovators Pylon with “Crazy”; bassist Mike Mills joined in for that cover, as well as Wire’s “Strange” and R.E.M.’s own Murmur standout “1,000,000.” Guitarist Peter Buck stepped up alongside Mills for “Second Guessing,” and the quickly expanding outfit welcomed Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye to broach The Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale.”
When Mills peeled off for the second VU homage “There She Goes Again,” it seemed the excitement was winding down—before effortlessly cool frontman Michael Stipe sauntered onstage, bringing Shannon to literally jump for joy. Together, the now sprawling ensemble tore into the 1984 Reckoning classic “Pretty Persuasion,” with Mills sprinting onstage halfway through to add harmonies and further amplify the celebration. At the song’s conclusion, the famously smoldering Shannon fawned with overwhelming gratitude: “Oh my god, oh my god. Oh-my-god-oh-my-god. Oh my god! Oh my fucking god, that’s just… Guys, this is a special place where dreams come true.”
Shannon and Narducy’s Fables of the Reconstruction tour will return to the 40 Watt Club tonight for a follow-up performance before dashing off to nine further performances along the Southeast and in the Midwest. In a post to the band’s Instagram, R.E.M. teased, “Who knows what night two, tonight, will have in store…” Stipe will step into the spotlight again on Monday for a set in the 38th Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert.
In June 2024, R.E.M. joined up at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for their first public performance since 2007. Read more on that unforgettable set here.
Watch a fan-recorded video of R.E.M.’s surprise hometown reunion below.
