A long delayed Postcard From the Road:
Twenty five years ago right now, R.E.M. and Wilco were in London, touring behind UP for R.E.M. and Wilco’s Summerteeth.
This one was the second of two nights at the fabled Earls Court, a massive historic arena that seemed like a hundred years old (it wasn’t, built 1935, demolished 2017).
Jimmy Page, a Kensington neighbor, stopped by for the show which was of course exciting for everyone, especially the musicians (Earls Court had been the setting for the 1975 run of five Led Zeppelin shows that some consider their best concerts ever). He seemed so young and dashing, friendly and of course cool. I think he was wearing one of those long dark coats backstage. R.E.M. was in London for nearly a week that summer, something we tried to do frequently in the touring times, and this time leading up to the band’s first Glastonbury appearance on the following Friday night.
Joey Waronker was on drums for his first stint with R.E.M. It was an overall fun and adventurous tour, and having Jimmy Page turn up at Earls Court is a memory that has stuck with us.
-@Bertis Downs
PS there wasn’t a “postcard from the road” on REMHQ for this one because REMHQ wasn’t started till the next week when in Roskilde we figured we’d better join the craze and start a website.