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R.E.M. to play old songs on new tour

1:33 p.m. · May 1, 2008 · by Nick Neyland

The anticipation surrounding every new R.E.M. record involves critics and fans willing the band to return to a sound that’s at least vaguely reminiscent of its early career. This year’s Accelerate isn’t close to its 1983 debut, Murmur, or sophomore album, Reckoning, but the basic rock setup has dragged a few fans back into the fold after they’ve found a creative use for their copies of 2004's Around the Sun. It could make a nice coaster, or perhaps a mini Frisbee?

To heighten the excitement created by this semi-return to form, Peter Buck has been talking to Billboard about the material the band will be playing on the tour to support Accelerate. And it looks like fans who are longing to hear Stipe and the boys break out into some early songs might be in luck. The article notes that R.E.M. has been playing “Second Guessing” (from Reckoning) in recent shows, and Buck hints that there may be more to follow. “We went back and learned a whole bunch of stuff from the early days we hadn't played in a long time, just to see where we came from, and it was pretty inspiring to play those," says the guitarist. Here are the full U.S. tour dates, with support from Modest Mouse and the National.

05.23 Vancouver, British Columbia: Deer Lake Park
05.29 Los Angeles, CA: Hollywood Bowl
05.31 Berkeley, CA: The Greek Theatre
06.03 Denver, CO: Red Rocks Amphitheatre
06.06 Chicago, IL: United Center
06.08 Toronto, Ontario: Molson Amphitheatre
06.10 Raleigh, NC: Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
06.11 Washington, DC: Merriweather Post Pavilion
06.13 Boston, MA: Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
06.14 Long Island, NY: Jones Beach Theater
06.18 Philadelphia, PA: Mann Center for the Performing Arts
06.19 New York, NY: Madison Square Garden
06.21 Atlanta, GA: Lakewood Amphitheatre

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