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NOTES FROM THE AIRPORT


On the way to Istanbul, so not much time to update today . . . Madrid was magical, the place LAS VENTAS (very Verona Arena-like in dimensions and shape and crowd, but okay maybe not quite as old!) is the premier bullring in Spain and quite a

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL RIEFLIN!


R.E.M.’s show in Murcia, Spain, tonight coincided with drummer Bill Rieflin’s birthday, which was duly noted and celebrated on stage with a fabulous birthday cake garnished with drum sticks. Happy Birthday, Bill!

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EUROPEAN TOUR MOVES TO SPAIN, TURKEY, AND GREECE


It’s hard to believe it, but the band’s European tour, which began back on July 2nd in Amsterdam, comes to a close Sunday following two shows in Spain this week and weekend shows in Istanbul, Turkey, and Athens, Greece. The first of the tour’s final four stops is Murcia,

POSTCARD FROM ZURICH


Tonight the band plays its final show in Switzerland for this tour, with an appearance at Hallenstadion in Zurich, and if recent indications are any sign, it should be a fantastic show. The guys are playing better than ever and the setlist is still growing almost 60 shows into

PALEO FESTIVAL CONCERT BROADCAST


R.E.M.’s performance at the Paleo Festival in Switzerland this summer will be broadcast on Eurosonic on the following dates and countries. Visit Eurosonic’s website for more information and please be sure to check local listings.

September 25th: Germany–NDR “Njoy”

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POSTCARD FROM ZURICH


Tonight the band plays its final show in Switzerland for this tour, with an appearance at Hallenstadion in Zurich, and if recent indications are any sign, it should be a fantastic show. The guys are playing better than ever and the setlist is still growing almost 60 shows into

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R.E.M. TO HEADLINE MTV’S GR DAY CONCERT IN ATHENS, GREECE


MTV will celebrate the launch of its latest incarnation, MTV Greece, with a free concert in Athens at Kallimarmaro Panathinalko Stadium on October 5th. R.E.M. will headline the special “MTV GR Day” concert with support from the Kaiser Chiefs, Gabriella Cilmi, and C:Real. Doors are at 5:30PM and

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XFM R.E.M. DOCUMENTARY PART 3


XFM.co.uk has posted part three of their five-part documentary on the band. You can view the new episode as well as previous ones at XFM.co.uk.

Photo: Vivian Johnson

MICHAEL DOES THE GATOR


French apparel company Lacoste has launched a special collector’s series of polo shirts which includes a design by Michael. R.E.M.’s lead singer is one of twelve “influencers” invited by Lacoste to offer their own twist on the iconic polo for the upcoming Holiday Collector’s Series.

Michael’s shirt is a two

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QUICK POSTCARD FROM THE WEEKEND: DE LUXEMBOURG EDITION


It has been an eventful week, with the rounding up of Peter’s guitar consuming many of us–when a commuter plane carrying Dewitt and the Beloved Rickenbacker, showed up early yesterday morning here in Luxembourg, the task was complete and we were ready for what promised to be a great show

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PETER BUCK’S RICKENBACKER RETURNED!


We are very, very thrilled to announce that Peter’s prized Rickenbacker guitar was returned to the band by an anonymous source late yesterday. The guitar had been missing since September 9th after it disappeared from the stage following the band’s concert in Helsinki, Finland. With this sudden turn

R.E.M. BACK IN GERMANY


Tonight’s concert at Konig-Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen is the first of the band’s three remaining shows in Germany this tour. On Thursday, the guys will play the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, and, after shows in Luxembourg and Switzerland this weekend, the band will return to Germany for a

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POPSONGS 82-07: ASK MICHAEL STIPE


For the past year, Matthew Perpetua, host of popsongs.wordpress.com, has written his interpretation of virtually every song in the R.E.M. canon prior to March 2007. It was a formidable project which concluded on September 9th with Matt’s interpretation, appropriately enough, of “It’s the End of the World As We

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(UPDATED) A DAY OFF IN VILNIUS


The band finishes their Nordic run tomorrow night in Vilnius Lithuania, a city they have never played before, and wrapping up many great shows throughout Scandinavia, Finland and the Baltic States the past two weeks. Today Michael talked to lrytas.lt and here are the links to the interview .