Michael Stipe made a rare onstage appearance on Saturday to perform two R.E.M. songs at a concert by Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy in Brooklyn. The event celebrated the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.'s album Lifes Rich Pageant. This marked the first time Stipe had sung those tracks live since 2008.
Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy have toured as a R.E.M. tribute act in recent years, with occasional appearances by actual band members. In 2024, all four core R.E.M. members joined them for a gig in Athens, Georgia, the band's hometown. Stipe has performed "Pretty Persuasion" with the duo at shows in Athens and Brooklyn in 2025.
The Saturday concert took place at Brooklyn Steel. To close the show, Stipe sang "These Days" from the 1986 album Lifes Rich Pageant, which the tour is marking for its 40th anniversary, and "The Great Beyond" from the Man on the Moon soundtrack. These were the first live performances of those songs by Stipe since 2008.
R.E.M., inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, disbanded in 2011. The band has avoided a full reunion, as guitarist Peter Buck explained: "It would never be as good." He added that by the end, the members could not agree on musical direction, recording, touring, or even dinner plans, but now they can at least agree on the latter. Instead, R.E.M. honors its legacy through surprise appearances, including cameos at Shannon and Narducy's shows and a one-off performance at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction in June 2024.
