REM play wedding with Bill Berry (REM fan geek out thread)

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Set list:

Sitting Still
Don't Go Back to Rockville
Wolves, Lower
Begin the Begin
The One I Love
Permanent Vacation
Radio Free Europe

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:10 (twenty years ago)

whoa!

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:12 (twenty years ago)

REM Play "The one I love" at somebody's wedding???

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)

crazy!

― glasgow coma score (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:16 (twenty years ago)

whose wedding was it?

― glasgow coma score (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:18 (twenty years ago)

That marriage is doomed.

― mcd (mcd), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:18 (twenty years ago)

Is that the drummer with one arm?

;]

― Matt Carlson (mattsoncarlhew), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:19 (twenty years ago)

More info...

10.08.05
R.E.M. PLAY SURPRISE SHOW IN ATHENS!
The band put together an impromptu performance tonight in Athens at R.E.M
guitar tech Dewitt Burton's wedding reception. Roughly three-hundred
people packed into a tiny arcade room at the bowling alley where the
reception was held as Peter, Michael, Mike, and Bill Berry ripped through
a scorching seven-song set that included "Sitting Still," "Rockville,"
"Wolves, Lower," "Begin the Begin," "The One I Love," "Permanent
Vacation," and "Radio Free Europe." It was the first time the original
lineup has performed together since a concert in Raleigh, North Carolina,
during the In Time tour in 2003. Michael Stipe toasted the bride and
groom, Jackie and Dewitt, on several occasions throughout the set as the
reception guests yelled request upon request at the band--"Begin the
Begin" was requested by the bride. Asked what he thought about the set and
the evening, Mike Mills commented that "It was awesome to look behind me
and see Bill on drums."

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:21 (twenty years ago)

there's footage on the murmurs fan site -- albeit shot with a cell phone and therefore having terrible audio. watching it, i had the same reaction i did while watching the footage from the '03 tour when bill berry showed up to play drums on one song: you don't really realize what a carnival sham 'New R.E.M.' is until you are confronted again with a shot of 'Old R.E.M.'

― PeopleFunnyBoy (PeopleFunnyBoy), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

God damn! I know people who work at that bowling alley too! I never know about anything cool going on.

― Doctor Casino, Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:39 (twenty years ago)

http://www.murmurs.com/talk/attachment.php?attachmentid=57726

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

They're finally almost the Beach Boys circa 1985.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:03 (twenty years ago)

if they toured and only played those songs I'd love them again

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:03 (twenty years ago)

Ditto.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

They're finally almost the Beach Boys circa 1985.

i hate you so much right now. arrrrrrrgh.

― glasgow coma score (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:15 (twenty years ago)

jbr: nice gang of four shirt, bill
ckb: Berry still looks pretty good
jbr: he does
jbr: buck needs to lay off the booze
ckb: no shit
ckb: mills needs to stop dyeing his hair
jbr: yeah, wtf is that all about

― glasgow coma score (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

bill looks like karl malden!

and yes! stipe looks far too mike lovey

― bb (bbrz), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:45 (twenty years ago)

They played most of that set in Raleigh 2003 as well :).

― carson dial (carson dial), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

OMFG. i'm tearing up...

― my name is john. i reside in chicago. (frankE), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 17:01 (twenty years ago)

that's several kinds of awesome and I'm not much of an REM fan.

― gspm (gspm), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

I fear Stipe is turning into George Carlin.

― Guayaquil (eephus), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

They SO shoulda broke up when Berry left.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 19:51 (twenty years ago)

No, they should have waited until after they recorded Up to break up.

― John Hunter, Tuesday, 11 October 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

I agree with just about everything on the thread so far.

This picture is making me tear up, almost.

Aw, R.E.M.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 19:56 (twenty years ago)

I SO approve of this. And Dr. Morbius OTM.

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 20:21 (twenty years ago)

beach-boyness aside (I would love to see Mike handle the Carl Wilson part of "Kokomo"), that pic is really affecting.

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 20:25 (twenty years ago)

They're finally almost the Beach Boys circa 1985.
-- Ned Raggett (ne...), October 11th, 2005.

hahaha!

― piscesboy, Tuesday, 11 October 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

Is that how they dress to go to a wedding?

That picture would be 1000X more classic if they were all wearing tux's and shit.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 21:02 (twenty years ago)

Maybe that's how you dress for a wedding recption at a bowling alley arcade.

― gspm (gspm), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 21:53 (twenty years ago)

EVEN MORE CLASSIC had they worn tuxedos, considering that the reception was in a bowling alley.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 22:23 (twenty years ago)

They're finally almost the Beach Boys circa 1985.

Michael Stipe looks so much like Mike Love in that pic you expect him to break out in "Help Me Rhonda" and start doing "the wave."

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 09:08 (twenty years ago)

Weird that Bill Berry, who quit for health reasons, looks like the healthiest of the bunch by far.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 11:45 (twenty years ago)

He's definitely spent more time outside, that's for sure.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

eleven months pass...

together again last night for georgia music hall of fame induction for three songs (Begin the Begin, Losing My Religion, Man on the Moon)

this article claims berry has been recording with the band again...let it be so

― john, a resident of chicago. (john s), Monday, 18 September 2006 14:42 (nineteen years ago)

OMG OMG OMG really?!

Also, re: the linked article - more on this, please:
But Bat Out Of Hell songwriter Jim Steinman's new group Dream Engine drew fits of laughter from the crowd during their bizarre set of rock opera ballads.

― Erroneous Botch (joseph cotten), Monday, 18 September 2006 14:58 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.remhq.com/news/viewphoto.html?url=../shared_assets/viewphoto.php?id=2922

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 22 September 2006 23:16 (nineteen years ago)

five years pass...

My favorite R.E.M. thread.

http://www.anniemayhem.com/blog%20pics/REM_wedding_10-8-05.jpg

― john. a resident of chicago., Friday, 23 September 2011 03:47 (fourteen years ago)

I stand by my Beach Boys comment.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 23 September 2011 04:15 (fourteen years ago)

A friend of mine in the early 90s was friends with a guy who was in a band managed by a friend of Jefferson Holt (keep up at the back). They did one album which was released on Holt's label (and did nothing). My friend went to Athens, hung out with REM and beat Mike Mills at pool.

― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Friday, 23 September 2011 07:25 (fourteen years ago)

three years pass...

https://www.facebook.com/REMhq/photos/pcb.10153030852212984/10153030835687984/?type=1&theater

― timellison, Friday, 3 July 2015 05:33 (ten years ago)

"We Love Tractor" and Baseball Project both playing Athfest.

― timellison, Friday, 3 July 2015 05:42 (ten years ago)

four years pass...

Love Tractor has been rehearsing at Bill's house, and Bill and his son are performing with them tomorrow night at the 40 Watt Club.

https://www.facebook.com/luvtractor/videos/510763099566139/

― Brad C., Thursday, 16 January 2020 17:39 (six years ago)

two years pass...

Bill Berry's new band

https://www.stereogum.com/2202828/athens-supergroup-the-bad-ends-bill-berrys-first-band-since-r-e-m-announces-debut-album/music/

― Brad C., Friday, 14 October 2022 16:49 (three years ago)

I love Bill obvs, but really stretching the definition of "supergroup" there just a little.

― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 14 October 2022 16:53 (three years ago)

The “All Your Friends Are Dying” video also features cameos from friends of the band such as Mike Mills of R.E.M., Vanessa Briscoe Hay from Pylon, Jody Stephens of Big Star, producer David Barbe (Drive-By Truckers), and more.

If they were actual band members/collaborators, that would be one hell of a supergroup.

― birdistheword, Friday, 14 October 2022 16:56 (three years ago)

otm

― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 14 October 2022 16:57 (three years ago)

whoa...haven't thought about Five Eight in...25 years. damn!

― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Friday, 14 October 2022 17:59 (three years ago)

I love seeing all the Athens old-timers and locations in this video

maybe one has to be of a certain age to get the full effect, but lmao at "All Your Friends Are Dying"

― Brad C., Friday, 14 October 2022 18:08 (three years ago)

Sadly, going 40+ years with all of your original core members in good health is too seldom a feat among rock groups.

― birdistheword, Friday, 14 October 2022 18:39 (three years ago)

The Bad Ends sound great! I just wish this benefit show was happening a month earlier as I'm headed to Athens over Halloween.

― BrianB, Friday, 14 October 2022 21:38 (three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.