Original REM line-up perform together for first time in almost 30 years

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Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

The original line-up of the band REM performed together for the first time in nearly three decades for their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday (13 June).

The four-strong outfit, consisting of frontman Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, had played their last major concert in 1995.

As part of Thursday’s ceremony, the group performed their classic breakthrough hit “Losing my Religion”, first released in 1987.

Stipe also gave an understated and emotive speech in which he spoke about the band’s enduring friendship, as well as their music.

“Writing songs and having a catalogue of work that we’re all proud of – that is out there for the rest of the world for the rest of time – is hands-down the most important aspect of what we did,” he said.

“Second to that is that we managed to do so all those decades and remain friends – and not just friends, but dear friends.”

REM’s original line-up was broken in 1997 with the departure of Berry, after he suffered a double brain aneurysm while on stage in Switzerland during their world tour. The remaining three members continued playing together until 2008, and officially split in 2011.

In a recent interview with CBS, Buck called being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame a “huge honour”, while Mills said: “It’s the thing that we worked on the most from the very beginning.”

“Because we had to,” added Berry. “Early on, just to put food on the table, we had to write songs as fast as we could.”

It doesn’t look like a reunion is on the cards after REM’s latest performance though. When asked why the four of them are still able to get along so well, Buck said: “We quit at the right time. Great album, great tour, go home.”

The band formed in college and went on to record some of the most popular indie-rock songs of the Nineties, including “Everybody Hurts”, “Man on the Moon”, “It’s the End of the World as we Know it” and “Shiny Happy People”.