< RETURN TO NEWS

R.E.M.’s Werchter Story From the 2-Part Documentary on the 50th Anniversary of Rock Werchter

One of the longest-lasting and most beloved music festivals in Europe, Rock Werchter will celebrate its 50th anniversary the first weekend of July at Festivalpark in Werchter, Belgium— Werchter was a festival R.E.M. always looked forward to, playing it a total of 7 times (and in fact, from 1985 on, every single  summer tour by the band in Europe always had Rock Werchter anchored in the schedule.) To commemorate this milestone for the festival, Belgium’s Flemish language public broadcaster VRT will release a documentary “50 Years Of Rock Werchter, As Seen Through The Artists’ Eyes.” And thanks to Pieter Verbiest and Gianni Marzo, directors of the film, we can share this sneak-peek into their creative vision, featuring some tremendous performance footage of R.E.M. in different years and typically insightful commentary from Mike Mills. Check it out below.

While on the subject, we wanted to mention the upcoming Rock Electrolite festival this summer in Lichtervelde presented by Bar Electrolite which will celebrate the band’s July 6, 1985 show at Rock Torhout (the first half of “Torhout/Werchter” when it was a two-site festival.) We’re excited and honored that the event will pay homage to R.E.M.’s early roots in Belgium. There will be bands paying tribute to R.E.M., U2, The Ramones, and a lot more! Many thanks to Mike Loose ands team at Bar Electrolite! https://rockelectrolite.be/