Not my favorite R.E.M. album but certainly my favorite from the post-Berry era. I believe many fans would have preferred that they would have played it safe by sticking with a more familiar sound. To their credit, for the most part they didn’t. When they did start to revisit more familiar sounds with Accelerate and Collapse Into Now it was the first time they had reacted to a critical response to one of their albums. To my ears, that approach didn’t always work and often came across as sounding forced. On Up, they stayed true to themselves when the easy way out would have been to create what would have sounded more like a sequel to one of their earlier albums. To their credit, they chose not to.
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This day is quite important in R.E.M. lore.
In 1985, they played The Powerhouse, Birmingham, England.
In 1986, they played Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada.
In 1987, it was the first known performance of ‘Pop Song 89’, albeit with different melody and lyrics as to what appeared on ‘Green’ (Edward C. Elliott Hall Of Music, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN)
In 1995, they played Thomas & Mack Center, University Of Nevada-Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV.
In 1998, none other than “Up” was released in North America.
In 2003, “In Time: The Best Of R.E.M. 1988-2003” was released outside North America.
In, 2004, Buck, Mills & Stipe attended & spoke at Michael Moore’s ‘Slacker Tour’ afternoon rally
In 2007, “R.E.M. LIVE” made its UK Premiere. UK Film premiere of the live concert film of the Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland, February 2005 shows, as part of the Electric Proms festival. This was screened at 8:30pm.
In 2009, “R.E.M. Live At The Olympia” was released in North America.
And it happens to be my birthday (along with John Cleese, Simon LeBon, Teddy Roosevelt, Sylvia Plath, Scott Weiland, Paganini, James Cook, Roy Lichtenstein, Floyd Cramer and Robert Picardo).
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Happy birthday then!
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29 October -
Another one for Up fans…
From the R.E.M. Timeline -
1998 - ‘Uptake’, Sound Stage 2, Ealing Studios, London, England
Set: Daysleeper / Lotus / Sad Professor / At My Most Beautiful / Suspicion / Parakeet
Notes: Television performance filmed in a warehouse with no audience. BJ Cole plays slide guitar on ‘Daysleeper’. This was used to promote the official single of ‘Suspicion’.
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1st November
From the R.E.M. Timeline -
2008 - Personal Fest 2008, Club Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Support: Bloc Party, The Kaiser Chiefs
Set: Living Well Is The Best Revenge / I Took Your Name / What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? / Drive / Driver 8 / Man-Sized Wreath / Ignoreland / Fall On Me / Electrolite / Imitation Of Life / Hollow Man / Everybody Hurts / She Just Wants To Be / The One I Love / Nightswimming / Let Me In / Horse To Water / Bad Day / Orange Crush / It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Encore: Supernatural Superserious / Losing My Religion / The Great Beyond / Man On The Moon
“Driver 8”
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November 6
From the R.E.M. Timeline -
1982 - Tupelo’s Tavern, New Orleans, LA
Support: Peter Holsapple, An Island
Set: Moral Kiosk / Pilgrimage / Shaking Through / Wolves, Lower / Laughing / Romance / Sitting Still / Pretty Persuasion / Catapult / 1,000,000 / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Radio Free Europe
Encore 1: White Tornado / Ages Of You / We Walk / Neverland / Gloria / Carnival Of Sorts (Box Cars)
Encore 2: Last Date / West Of The Fields
Notes: Peter Holsapple guests on ‘Gardening At Night’, ‘Neverland’ & ‘Gloria’. This show is available on the CD bootleg “Sound Emporium”, minus ‘Last Date’ and ‘West Of The Fields’.
R.E.M. - 1982-11-06 - Tupelo’s Tavern, New Orleans, LA (2013 Master)
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November 7-8
1988 - R.E.M. released their sixth studio album, Green. After fulfilling their contract with I.R.S., Green was the first R.E.M. record released under the Warner Bros. label.
SirAllAboutMusic - Green review.
10 November
From the R.E.M. Timeline -
1984 - Concert Garden, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
Support: Bakufu-Slump
Set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Old Man Kensey / So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry) / Auctioneer (Another Engine) / Talk About The Passion / Harborcoat / Hyena / (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville / Sitting Still / Driver 8 / Catapult / Chicken Train / Pretty Persuasion / Little America
Encore: Riders In The Sky / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe / Femme Fatale
Notes: Firt performance of ‘Auctioneer (Another Engine)’. ‘Chicken Train’ is played when Bill needs a bathroom break, and joins halfway through the song. This show can be found on the CD bootleg “Live At Yokohama”
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On this day in 1986 I saw R.E.M. in concert for the first time when the Pageantry tour came to Cameron Indoor Stadium on the campus of Duke University in Durham, NC. Let’s Active opened on what just so happened to be Mitch Easter’s birthday. To this day it remains my favorite concert of all time, not just by R.E.M. but by any artist. Link to a recording of the show here.
Setlist courtesy of the R.E.M. Timeline
These Days
Harborcoat
Hyena
Time After Time (Annelise)
Maps And Legends
The One I Love
Feeling Gravitys Pull
The Flowers Of Guatemala
White Tornado
Driver 8
Tired Of Singing Trouble
I Believe
Swan Swan H
7 Chinese Bros.
Superman
Can’t Get There From Here
Pretty Persuasion
Auctioneer (Another Engine)
Little America
1st ENCORE
Fall On Me
Cuyahoga
Begin The Begin
2nd ENCORE
Finest Worksong
King of Birds
Oddfellows Local 151
Born To Run
We Walk>Uncle Salty
Toys In The Attic
Happy Birthday To Mitch Easter
Funtime
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From this day in 1983 when R.E.M. made their UK television debut on The Tube (Channel 4, Tyne Tees Television). They performed “Radio Free Europe,” “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry),” and “Talk About the Passion.” All but the performance of “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” can be found on the When the Light Is Mine DVD that came out in 2006.
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November 19 -
2001 “I’ll Take The Rain” the third and final single from R.E.M.'s 12th studio album, Reveal was released & the day after in the U.S. One of my fav R.E.M. songs & I love the video for it too. 
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From 30 years ago today at the 40 Watt.
https://youtu.be/52sMbXI22gg
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On this day November 25 -
1983 - Exo 7, Rouen, France
“Talk About The Passion”
https://youtu.be/gNellQ8M5CY
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26 November -
1996 - ‘The NOVA Convention Revisited: William S. Burroughs & The Arts’, Lied Center, The University Of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
From the R.E.M. Timeline-
Other acts performing: John Giorno, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Ed Sanders, Deborah Harry & Chris Stein, William S. Burroughs
Michael Stipe, Oliver Ray & Lenny Kaye: Long Road
Set: Wing / Dancing Barefoot / Walking Blind / Beneath The Southern Cross / Excerpts from introduction to ‘Queer’ by William S. Burroughs / Gone Again
Notes: Patti Smith, with Lenny Kaye & Oliver Ray. Michael Stipe joins on quoting from ‘Queer’ & using improvised lyrics. Michael, alongside Lenny Kaye & Oliver Ray, started off the set with ‘Long Road’.
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29 November -
1984 - Queensway Hall, Dunstable, England
Poster mirrored from R.E.M. HQ, 2014
The December 3rd, 1987 issue of Rolling Stone. Link to the cover story here.
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On this day December 4 -
1984 - SFX Centre, Dublin, Ireland
“Don’t Go Back To Rockville” (With Steve Wickham, then of In Tua Nua and later The Waterboys, on violin.)
(Audio vid)
https://youtu.be/aKl6bl5fdT8
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Didn’t know this connection between R.E.M. and Steve Wickham. His violin playing here is one of my favourite things ever:
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I’ve read a few times R.E.M. having love for Ireland. 
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