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POSTCARD AFTER A FEW DAYS OFF IN CAPE TOWN


We have all enjoyed our several days here. Two tremendous shows in front of some of the most enthusiastic, raucous crowds R.E.M. has ever seen (and heard); On Saturday night, the staccato clapping part during the bridge, where the audience mimics the sounds on stage, literally was louder than the

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THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD PART OF THE WORLD TOUR


R.E.M resumed their tour in Cape Town, South Africa, this evening with a rousing set at Bellville Velodrome. Word just in from Bertis via mobile phone that it was one of the most intense and captivating shows of the tour thus far with a fired-up South African audience of

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WATCH ELECTRON BLUE VIDEO


You can check out the video for R.E.M.’s latest single, Electron Blue, by clicking on the banner at the top of the main news page.

Electron Blue was released as the third single from Around the Sun on Monday, February 28th. The video was made with Blue Leach from screen

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POSTCARD AS WE LEAVE EUROPE


We are in the Departure Lounge of Dublin’s airport, getting ready for a lot of flying (to Cape Town), then a few days before our first-ever show in South Africa (Friday night in Cape Town).

What a great weekend—it was Ireland after all. Belfast was the realization of a long-time

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FRIDAY UPDATE FROM BELFAST


Although R.E.M has played the Republic of Ireland many times in previous years–the first being in 1984 at SFX and the last being at Marlay Park in 2003–the guys have never journeyed up North until now. So, it is with great anticipation and a sense of “we finally made

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QUICK POSTCARD FROM THE MIDLANDS


London was tremendous in every way–show, aftershow, friends, families, city, press–all fun, all great…even some sunshine and a day (yesterday) to rest up for the stretch run here in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. The show at the Apollo was our second in 6 months

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LONDON UPDATE PLUS NEW TOUR MERCH IN THRIFTSTORE


R.E.M is in London today for a show at the Apollo Theatre. Support will be from Athens’ band Now it’s Overhead. Tonight’s show will mark the first in a string of five UK concerts. R.E.M. will play Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham, and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

ELECTRON BLUE
Electron Blue

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NEWS FLASH FROM HAMBURG VIA BERTIS FROM SIDE OF STAGE


Something about last nights with support bands we love… tonight in Hamburg marks the end of The Thrills opening run with us, which started a couple of weeks ago in Stockholm. So as a great send-off, Peter did his usual mandolin turn on “The Curse of Comfort,” then a

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BRIEF UPDATE FROM THE NEXT MORNING IN LEIPZIG


All you need to know about the Stuttgart show is it started with I Took Your Name and finished with Iggy Pop’s classic I Wanna be your Dog (marking the first time on the tour they have played on beyond Man on the Moon) and in between there

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POSTCARD FROM VIENNA


Things are a little hectic in Vienna, at least in my world, so I will be brief in my Friday update….maybe the two day break got me out of practice. It was nice having the short respite in an otherwise-intense pace; people either spent the days off in Paris

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MICHAEL IN NEW BLENDER


Blender.com has an interview they’ve just posted with Michael in which R.E.M’s singer fields questions from fans about the coolest thing he owns, the TV show he would most like to appear on, a bad hair day that lasted an entire year, and much more. Please click here

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MORE NEW PHOTOS!


We have more new photos posted in the Live section. Check out the latest collection of shots from Hannover and Oberhausen as submitted by our intrepid, nonpareil photographers, Weber and Belisle…

Just click on the new photo link on the main news page to go straight there.

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POSTCARD FROM OBERHAUSEN


We are in Oberhausen Arena, where we last played the night after the 1999 Glastonbury appearance (leading to the No Shows the Night After Glastonbury Rule in effect ever since…); the Cologne area is a favorite of all of ours, with the amazing 2001 cathedral plaza free show still fresh,

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JAPAN SUPPORT ANNOUNCED


Japanese 3-piece rock outfit, doa, will support R.E.M during the band’s swing through Japan, March 16th-18th. doa, who made their major label debut in 2004, have a new record, Open D, coming out this month according to their website: d-o-a.jp. Of particular interest is the