rem reunion tour

R.E.M. performs together for first time in nearly 20 years

R.E.M. 's still got it.

The group — comprised of frontman Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bass player Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry — had a surprise onstage reunion at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony in New York on Thursday, performing their 1991 hit "Losing My Religion."

The performance marked the first time all four members of the indie band took the stage together since their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

R.E.M. slowly dissolved after Berry left the band in 1997 after suffering a double brain aneurysm. The band continued on as a trio until 2011, but never quite found their groove without their drummer.

In their speech, Stipe spoke about their latest accolade on behalf of his bandmates.

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"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 all 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, dear friends."

The frontman also noted that even amid the band's difficulties, they were united.

"We are four people that very early on decided that we would own our own masters and we would split our royalties and songwriting credits equally," he said. "All for one and one for all."

Songwriters Hall of Fame to induct Steely Dan, R.E.M., Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey

The "Everybody Hurts" band's reunion comes the same day their " CBS Mornings " interview aired where they discussed their breakup and joked it would take a "comet" to get them together onstage again.

"At that point, there wasn’t anything we could agree on really, musically — what kind of music, how to record it, are we gonna go on tour," Buck said of when Berry left R.E.M. "We could barely agree on where to go to dinner. And now we can just agree on where to go to dinner."

He added: "I think we quit at the right time. This is a really good place to finish, you know – great tour, great album, go home."

When asked if they would ever consider a reunion, Buck said, "It'd never be as good."

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R.E.M. performs 'Losing My Religion' in surprise onstage reunion

That’s them in the spotlight, again.

Legendary rock band R.E.M. reunited at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony  in New York City on June 13, walking the red carpet and then playing an acoustic version of their 1991 hit “Losing My Religion” during the event.

The band’s original members — lead singer Michael Stipe, drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills — turned out for the ceremony at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, as the band was among the evening’s honorees, alongside Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey, Dean Pitchford, Steely Dan and Cindy Walker.

“We’re R.EM., and this is what we did,” Stipe said on stage before the band launched into “Losing My Religion.”

R.E.M.’s performance was the first time all four members appeared together since they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, according to Rolling Stone .

According to Variety , R.E.M. performed at a private event in 2016, but the band's four original members hadn’t performed in a major show since 1995, as Berry left the band in 1997.

R.E.M. played its last show in 2008 and officially broke up in 2011.

“The main thing that we do is write songs, so this is a really incredible honor for us, as songwriters, as musicians” Stipe said on the red carpet, according to NBC News .

“When you write good songs, they have an emotional connection to people and music is one of the things that stays with you your whole life. So, if there’s a song that affected you when you’re 15, it’ll probably affect you when you’re 40,” Mills said.

R.E.M. is considered one of the pioneers of the alternative rock movement.

“Losing My Religion” was one of the biggest songs of 1991, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It was accompanied by a popular video that aired in heavy rotation on MTV and won two Grammys. The song was also nominated for record of the year, while the album on which it appeared, “Out of Time,” was nominated for album of the year.

R.E.M. was also responsible for scores of other hits, such as “Everybody Hurts,” “Man on the Moon" and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” which Jason Isbell covered during the ceremony, according to the Associated Press .  

“Writing songs and having a catalog of work that we’re all proud of — that is out there for the whole world for the rest of time — is hands down, the most important aspect of what we did as a band,” Stipe said during the band’s speech at the ceremony.

“Second to that is that we managed to do so for all these decades and remain friends, and not just friends, but dear friends — friends for life.”

Drew Weisholtz is a reporter for TODAY Digital, focusing on pop culture, nostalgia and trending stories. He has seen every episode of “Saved by the Bell” at least 50 times, longs to perfect the crane kick from “The Karate Kid” and performs stand-up comedy, while also cheering on the New York Yankees and New York Giants. A graduate of Rutgers University, he is the married father of two kids who believe he is ridiculous.

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R.E.M. reunites for the first time in 15 years, performs 'Losing My Religion'

Lars Gotrich

The four original members of R.E.M. — Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Bill Berry and Peter Bucks — reunited and performed at the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony. L. Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall of Fame hide caption

On Thursday morning, Mike Mills told CBS Mornings that it would take "a comet" for R.E.M. to get back together. But on Thursday night, R.E.M. got back together to perform "Losing My Religion," the band's unexpected 1991 hit from Out of Time , at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where the band was being honored. The band had been secretly planning the reunion when the morning television program visited R.E.M.'s Athens rehearsal space in February.

It's been 15 years since R.E.M. performed live, and 13 since the band broke up.

"The thing that makes a band a band is the chemistry that occurs between the three or four people when they're standing on stage," Mills told All Things Considered in 2011. "The one thing I really will miss is that energy that happens when Peter and Michael and I start to make noise together. You can't replace that. You can only be grateful that you had it, and move on and find something else that makes you happy and excited."

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Members of the Athens rock band have kept busy. Michael Stipe has released two books of photography and, just this year, announced a long-gestating solo album . Mills, along with Peter Buck, plays in the The Baseball Project . Buck remains prolific as a solo artist, in The Minus 5 and in collaboration with Joseph Arthur . Bill Berry, who left the band in 1997 after suffering a ruptured brain aneurysm two years earlier, has mostly stayed in Athens with sporadic musical activity.

"There's no drummer like Bill Berry on Earth. None," Buck told the Netflix version of Song Exploder in an episode on "Losing My Religion." "I have a lot of drummer friends, and they all ask me the same thing: 'What's his secret?' And I can't tell you, because I don't know. My theory is that he uses the space between the high hat and the snare drum in a kind of disco-y way, without being too disco."

All Songs Considered

R.e.m. reflects on 25 years of 'automatic for the people'.

At the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the band strips "Losing My Religion" to its core elements: Buck on mandolin, Mills on 12-string acoustic guitar and Berry on congas and shaker. Stipe's voice, which has grown a shade deeper now 33 years since the song debuted, mingles with the murmurs of a shocked audience singing along in a fan-recorded video.

R.E.M. also reunited, sort of, in February, at the 40 Watt in Athens, Ga., during Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy's R.E.M. tribute tour when the actor and musician were performing Murmur in its entirety. The four original members joined them onstage for a few songs .

But R.E.M. insists there won't be another reunion. Stipe says, "We had our day in the sun."

R.E.M. confirm they'll never reunite for "tacky, money-grabbing" reunion tour

Michael Stipe rules out the idea of R.E.M. getting back together, describing it as "wishful thinking"

Michael Stipe has dismissed the prospect of R.E.M. getting back together for a reunion tour, describing the idea as "really tacky and probably money-grabbing".

In conversation with radio station WNYC to discuss his contribution on the new Velvet Underground tribute compilation – which will see the likes of Sharon Van Etten, St.Vincent, Iggy Pop and more performing every song on The Velvet Underground & Nico album – Stipe issued his thoughts over a potential R.E.M. reunion. The frontman disregarded the idea – which was proposed in a Rolling Stone article from 2019 –  as "wishful thinking".

He explains: "We will never reunite. We decided when we split up that that would just be really tacky and probably money-grabbing, which might be the impetus for a lot of bands to get back together.

"We don’t really need that, and I’m really happy that we just have the legacy of the 32 years of work that we have".

As one final nail in the R.E.M. coffin, after the interview, Stipe posted a reprise of the statement the band originally released when they broke up in 2011, which read "To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished.

“To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.”

In other news, R.E.M. will be releasing a reissue of their lauded 1996 album New Adventures In Hi-Fi, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, due out October 29.

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Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.

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Original R.E.M. Lineup Appears Onstage Together for the First Time in 17 Years

R.E.M. fans were in for a surprise as singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills, guitarist Peter Buck and drummer Bill Berry all appeared onstage together Thursday night (Feb. 8) for the first time since their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2007, though they did not perform.

What brought them all together? The band members were attending a concert featuring actor Michael Shannon and musician Jason Narducy, who have been touring while playing R.E.M.'s Murmur album on a nightly basis.

While the full four R.E.M. members chose not to play together, their presence onstage at the end of the show served as a stamp of approval for Shannon and Narducy's touring tribute.

"Speaking on behalf of Bill and Mike and Peter, we are so fucking thrilled to be here tonight," said singer Michael Stipe to the audience in footage from Scene SC that can be seen below.

The Thursday performance took place at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia, where R.E.M. got their start as a band. That made the homecoming all the sweeter for fans in attendance.

Per fan accounts, it appears as though Berry, Mills and Buck joined Shannon and Narducy at different times during the band's set, but Stipe did not perform, only joining his bandmates with Shannon and Narducy's band onstage at the end of the evening.

This was not the first time that an R.E.M. member has shown up during the tour, with Mike Mills previously joining Shannon and Narducy during a Chicago show last year.

The current Shannon / Narducy tour  celebrating Murmur continues through Feb. 14 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York.

READ MORE: Michael Stipe Gives Update on Solo Album

R.E.M. Original Lineup History

R.E.M. originally formed in 1980 in Athens, Georgia. The core four of the lineup remained intact through 1997, when drummer Bill Berry left the band. The drummer had previously suffered a brain aneurysm while onstage in Switzerland in March 1995.

The band continued as a trio, utilizing touring and session musicians in Berry's absence for the remainder of their career.

On Sept. 21, 2011, the band announced that they were "calling it a day as a band."

The original four members recorded 10 albums together, with 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi being Berry's last record with the band. After Berry's exit, the group recorded five more albums.

As previously stated, Berry joined his bandmates in 2007 onstage for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since that time, it's been rare that all four members have been seen together in public. They all did appear at the 40 Watt Club in 2022 for an all-star tribute to the band's Chronic Town EP, but during the show only Buck and Mills were seen onstage.

Upon announcing their retirement, R.E.M. have been one of the few acts that actually held true to the declaration. They have not returned to the stage as a four-piece (with then drummer Bill Rieflen) to perform since a 2009 appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall . The trio of Stipe, Mills and Buck did play an impromptu performance of "Losing My Religion" in France in 2016 to celebrate the birthday of their manager Bertis Downs.

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Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire

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R.E.M.’s Peter Buck and Mike Mills Perform at 40th Anniversary Event for Debut EP Chronic Town: Watch

Fred Armisen, Darius Rucker, Indigo Girls, and more came together in Athens, Georgia

R.E.M. released their debut EP Chronic Town  a whopping 40 years ago, and in celebration of the anniversary, a star-studded lineup of musicians and fans convened in the band’s Athens, Georgia hometown for a tribute event last night.

Hosted by comedian David Cross, most of the night consisted of R.E.M. members Peter Buck and Mike Mills playing with a house band, which itself included Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson and Sven Pipien, as well as Screaming Trees’ Barrett Martin on drums.

The night also boasted tribute performances from the likes of Fred Armisen, Hootie and the Blowfish’s Darius Rucker, Patti Smith Group’s Lenny Kaye, Indigo Girls, Robinson’s son Quinn, Drivin N Cryin’s Kevn Kinney, actor/director John Cameron Mitchell, singer-songwriter David Ryan Harris, and Zac Brown Band’s John Driskell Hopkins.

The show’s finale brought a big crew onstage to do a cover of Big Star’s “September Gurls” together. And, the cherry on top: Proceeds of the show benefitted Planned Parenthood. Catch some fan-captured clips of the R.E.M. Chronic Town  40th anniversary event below.

Don’t expect a full-blown R.E.M. reunion, however: Last year, frontman Michael Stipe said the band — who officially broke up in 2011 — would “never reunite.” However, he and Mills recently chatted with  Consequence’ s Kyle Meredith about their 1996 album  New Adventures in Hi-Fi in honor of its 25th anniversary.

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February 9, 2024 10:56 AM

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It wasn't a reunion — and they didn't perform together. But the sight of all four members of R.E.M. on stage last night at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Ga., has already rippled around the world.

The British music magazine NME  was one of the first to report the moment, which saw singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry shoulder-to-shoulder at a tribute concert helmed by Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon and musician Jason Narducy.

The pair came to town to celebrate the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.'s 1983 debut, Murmur. Last summer   at the Metro in Chicago, Shannon, Narducy and friends performed the album in its entirety along with some of their other favorite R.E.M. songs. That performance made such a splash that they decided to tour the country this month, landing at the 40 Watt Club, a historic musical home for heroes of the Athens music scene, including R.E.M., the B-52’s, Pylon, Vic Chesnutt, Five Eight and others.

Video from YouTube/Joe Cortez

Mills joined Shannon and Narducy for that Chicago gig, and in Athens last night, he and Peter Buck contributed to the music after Michael Stipe took the microphone and announced how happy the members of the band were to be there. The Murmur tribute setlist included seminal "Radio Free Europe" and "Talk About the Passion" as well as fan favorites "Driver 8" and "(Don't go back to) Rockville."

The tour continues through Valentine's Day with stops in Washington, D.C., and Brooklyn, N.Y.

The set list from the Murmur tribute concert performed by Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy and Friends at the 40 Watt in Athens, Ga. on Feb. 8, 2024. Credit: Bertis Downs

On the R.E.M. front, Michael Stipe has been unusually visible lately, popping up around the art world, talking with the New York Times about solo material and posing for a YSL campaign.

And here's something to look forward to: All members of R.E.M. will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame during the 53rd Annual Induction and Awards Gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on June 13. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 and introduced by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.

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About the author.

Kristi York Wooten ( she/her ) is a digital editor and journalist based in Atlanta. She works with the GPB radio and digital news teams as an editor, writes and produces features for digital and radio and leads editorial and production for the GPB News Weekend newsletter. Her work appears in  The New York Times ,  The Economist ,  The Atlantic ,  Newsweek, Rolling Stone  and others.

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R.E.M.’s Original Lineup Performs Publicly for the First Time in Nearly Three Decades at Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony

By Jem Aswad

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The four founding members of R.E.M. performed together publicly for the first time in nearly three decades at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony in New York on Thursday night, playing an acoustic version of their breakthrough song, 1991’s “Losing My Religion.”

With characteristic understatement, the group — singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry — showed their respect for the honor and the institution, their friendship and decades-long bond, and in gracious terms, fans, family, friends, and everyone who helped them along the way.

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Although the four members performed together in 2016 at a private event for longtime manager Bertis Downs, their last major concert took place in 1995, concluding a problem-plagued tour that ultimately led to Berry’s departure two years later. The remaining three members last performed in 2008 and amicably split in 2011.

The group’s fellow 2024 inductees were Steely Dan, producer Timbaland, and songwriters Hillary Lindsey, Dean Pitchford and the late Cindy Walker.

Following the format of the show — which sees one of the songwriter’s hits played by an influencee, followed by the induction and then the honoree’s performance — Jason Isbell started R.E.M.’s segment by playing the group’s polysyllabic 1987 hit, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine).”

“I never sang so many syllables so fast in my life,” Isbell joked, recalling memorizing the song’s tongue-twisting lyrics as a kid — and how he’d thought that feat would never be useful.

“I heard their songs on the radio all time, and it’s safe to say thousands of outcast kids in the South had that same experience.”

After fans, families and several dozen music executives by name, Stipe concluded with a heartfelt tribute to the band’s longtime manager, Bertis Downs: “for allowing us the space to create, to follow our gut, to follow our instincts, to disappear into the music, to not have to be concerned with aspects of the industry that would have or could have prevented us from focusing on the most important part: the songwriting and the songs. And for that gift, Bertis we are forever grateful.” 

The band then walked over to the performance area. “We’re R.E.M., and this is what we did,” Stipe said and the bandmembers — Stipe with guitarist Peter Buck on mandolin, bassist Mike Mills playing 12-string acoustic guitar and singing harmony, and drummer Bill Berry, who left the band in 1997, on percussion.

Their appearance was brief, but no one was disappointed.

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R.E.M. discusses surprise reunion at Songwriters Hall of Fame

L egendary alternative rock band R.E.M.  marked their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Thursday night by giving nostalgic fans something they've been dreaming about for roughly 17 years: a reunion.

Fans have waited years to see the band onstage again, and Thursday night they got it – one surprise song, one time only, when R.E.M performed an acoustic version of their Grammy award-winning hit, "Losing My Religion."

The intimate and soulful performance was the first time that frontman Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry played together publicly since 2007 when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

R.E.M.'s surprise reunion

The band was already quietly plotting the reunion in February when "CBS Mornings" visited them at their old rehearsal space in Athens, Georgia, where they formed in 1980. Since then, they've released 15 studio albums and sold millions of records, becoming one of the most popular bands in history, before breaking up in 2011.

"Everybody here is sworn to secrecy," said Mills about the possibility of taking the stage with his former bandmates during the interview.

When asked what it would take to get the original band back together, the bandmates chuckled and jokingly suggested "a comet" or "super glue."

Thursday's reunion surprised and delighted fans, but R.E.M. said don't expect another.

Buck said he wouldn't know what he'd be trying to accomplish if the group officially got back together. Stipe agreed there's not going to be another "one last time."

"It's like all the reasons you don't want to do it are still in place. We are lucky enough to have…don't really love the word 'legacy,' that we can leave in place and not mess up. And you don't get that opportunity but one time. Once you change that, you can't go back," Mills explained.

"We had our day in the sun," Stipe said.

Back to the beginning

A reunion tour may not be in R.E.M.'s future, but the bandmates said they've enjoyed reminiscing about their early days and the great pieces of music they made. Mills said they "had a lot of fun" in their Athens rehearsal space, in particular.

The honor of being included in the Songwriters Hall of Fame prompted the group to reflect on their songs and what inspired them.

Berry said The Beatles changed his life when he was just 7 years old, inspiring him to become a musician.

Mills, Buck and Berry said they typically wrote the music and then gave it to Stipe, who would add in the lyrics. Stipe said their songs weren't always an instant hit.

"We didn't always write music or songs that people connected with on the first listen. Sometimes it took seven or eight or even 10 listens before the melodies sunk in. You wake up singing it the next day and then you know you've got something," said Stipe, joking that it must means the band consists of "very complicated, intelligent people."

R.E.M.'s 1991 song "Losing My Religion" quickly climbed the charts. In 2022, it surpassed over 1 billion views on YouTube, according to Billboard . 

The song's popularity surprised the band. They never thought it would be a hit.

"I mean, we made a lot of really good records. And then just randomly, we had a hit single off this thing with a lead mandolin. I was, like, go figure," Buck said.

Watch more of R.E.M.'s interview with "CBS Mornings" here .

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Watch Part Two of CBS Mornings Interview

Part two of the CBS Mornings interview the band did with Anthony Mason including scenes from last night’s induction ceremony where Berry, Buck, Mills & Stipe performed an acoustic version of “Losing My Religion” photo credit: L. Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall of Fame

Watch the CBS Mornings Interview with Anthony Mason

Tonight the band will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in NYC. This morning, their interview with CBS Mornings’ Anthony Mason aired. Check it out here.      

Band Interview with Anthony Mason on CBS Mornings Airs Thursday AM

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Peter Buck on the chances of an R.E.M. reunion

After a decades-long career, the band broke up in 2011

Peter Buck has opened up about whether he would ever want an R.E.M. reunion.

• READ MORE:  NME meets   R.E.M.: “We needed swagger – to be loud and raw”

The band broke up on September 21, 2011, posting a statement on Instagram that said “as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band,” adding that they were walking away with “a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished”.

Now, in a new interview with Classic Rock Magazine   (via Louder Sound ), former guitarist Buck has reaffirmed that the band’s split is permanent.

“When the non-musical stuff became so intense, it took away some of the pleasure for me,” Buck said, reflecting on the band’s success after they got “really big”.

“It’s just the stuff where you kind of wake up and go, ‘God, I don’t really want to have my picture taken today. And I don’t really want to pretend to be an actor in some video where I can’t act’.”

He continued: “I loved playing Glastonbury and playing in front of lots of people and selling multiple copies of records, but it was never the reason I did it.

“And when we got to the point where we decided that it was the end, it felt like a great shared experience.

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“I wouldn’t change it, but I’m not going to go back to it.”

The musician continued that he felt the band ended things at the right time while they were on a high.

“The last two records were really strong,” he said. “But I just felt like no matter how good our last record was, it wasn’t really our time anymore. And that’s fair, and I understand that.

“And we were lucky. The last tour we did, we were still playing to huge amounts of people. We went to South America, which was like being The Beatles . So everyone felt like, ‘Yeah, this is a really good stopping point.”

Last year, lead singer Michael Stipe also put an end to any suggestions R.E.M. could reunite .

Elsewhere, R.E.M.’s Stipe and bassist Mike Mills told NME in 2019 that there is still some “unheard” material that was never released by the band.

“There aren’t that many that are complete like [‘ Fascinating ‘], which was complete and mixed but we just couldn’t put it on a record,” Mills said.

“There are other things floating around but not that much. With most of it, if it was worth putting out then we’d have put it out by now.”

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Who Will Reunite Next? We Place Odds on 18 Groups, From Led Zeppelin to One Direction

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

The 2022 calendar is packed with long-awaited reunion tours by the likes of Fugees, Rage Against the Machine, Bauhaus, Pavement, Mötley Crüe, Swedish House Mafia, and even ABBA, if you count their digital-avatar show heading to London. Some of these acts swore they’d never play together again, and one even supposedly signed a “cessation of touring activities” agreement that would have made a reunion impossible.

But there’s still a large pool of groups that are stubbornly clinging to their breakups. Some of them have more cash than they’ll ever need, while others are content with their solo projects. There are also, of course, many groups whose members simply despise each other more than they like money. Here’s a look at 18 groups that have all sorts of reasons for staying apart, and our 100% unscientific odds that they’ll reunite some day.

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Why They Split: Band relations hit a real low on the band’s 1980–81 Wall tour, but after Roger Waters left in the early 1980s, the remaining trio of David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason got along quite well and turned into a functioning unit. They also played many enormous stadium gigs, but by the end of 1994’s massive Division Bell tour, David Gilmour had had enough. They quietly went on an indefinite hiatus when the tour wrapped after a long run of shows at London’s Earls Court in October 1994.

Last Performance: The classic line-up of Gilmour, Wright, Mason, and Waters did a four-song set at Live 8 in the summer of 2005. Three years later Richard Wright died of cancer — forever ruling out a complete reunion. In May 2011, David Gilmour performed “Comfortably Numb” with Roger Waters at London’s 02 Arena, and Mason (playing tambourine) came out with Gilmour for “Outside the Wall.” David Gilmour and Nick Mason linked up in the studio in 2014 to complete some unfinished Richard Wright tracks on the largely instrumental album The Endless River, but they didn’t support it with any live work

Odds of a Reunion: The Pink Floyd detente that culminated with a handful mini reunions between 2005 and 2011 is long over. In recent years, Roger Waters has gone public with the fact that he’s been locked out of Floyd’s social-media channels. They had a band meeting a couple of years back to try and sort everything out, but it resulted in nothing more than even more bitterness and public acrimony. Even simple matters like an Animals box set devolved into a year-long civil war between Waters and Gilmour. “I actually get along with both of them,” an exasperated Mason told Rolling Stone in 2019, “and I think it’s really disappointing that these rather elderly gentlemen are still at loggerheads.” These “elderly gentlemen” have been at loggerheads for the past 50 years, and it’s not likely to resolve itself anytime soon. We put the odds of a reunion at 5% .

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Genesis With Peter Gabriel

Why They Split: There’s a certain type of artist that simply cannot handle life in a band where creative decisions are shared even somewhat equally among the members, especially after they achieve some degree of success. It’s a situation that can result in the group becoming a dictatorship (Pink Floyd, Talking Heads ) or a band-in-name-only where most of the members are jettisoned (pre-reunion Guns N’ Roses, pre reunion-Smashing Pumpkins). There’s also the Genesis route where the leader steps aside for a solo career and allows the group to continue in their absence. This took place in 1975 after the band’s Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour. In an almost unique outcome in the history of rock, both Genesis and Peter Gabriel fared far better commercially in the aftermath.

Last Performance: On Oct. 2, 1982, Genesis reunited with Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett for the Six of the Best concert at Milton Keynes Bowl in England. It was hastily put together to help Gabriel pay off the enormous bills he accumulated in the aftermath of the inaugural WOMAD Festival that year. In the years that followed, Gabriel became a superstar thanks to hits like “In Your Eyes” and “Sledgehammer,” and he no longer needed his old bandmates to bail him out of financial jams.

Odds of a Reunion: The Phil Collins incarnation of Genesis was more successful than the Gabriel one by an enormous magnitude. They’re in the middle of a big-money reunion tour at the moment where Nicholas Collins is handling all the drum duties since his father is no longer physically able to play his old parts. It’s a situation that would make it impossible for Phil to perform in any meaningful way on a reunion tour with Gabriel, but one that would allow Nicholas to take over for him. Could a tour happen in a couple of years with Gabriel, Nicholas Collins, Steve Hackett, Michael Rutherford, and Tony Banks? It’s far from impossible, but we’re still saying just a 30% chance.

Talking Heads

Why They Split: To simplify a rather complex story, the other members of the band got sick of the public seeing them as David Byrne’s backing band. At the same time, Byrne grew increasingly uneasy about having to share creative responsibilities. The result was a very dysfunctional band. They didn’t officially split until 1991, but their last time on the road was the legendary Speaking in Tongues tour of 1983–84.

Last Performance: The group shocked many when they agreed to perform at their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. “It had been a long time since we’d had much of a conversation,” Chris Frantz said in 2009. “We’d bump into David at Lou Reed’s house or something like that. But that was the first time we’d sat down and talked.” Unlike with many sloppy Rock Hall reunions, the four members put aside their differences and carefully rehearsed a killer three-song set of “Psycho Killer,” “Life During Wartime,” and “Burning Down the House.”

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Odds of a Reunion: David Byrne is pretty stubborn fellow and he’s made it absolutely clear that he has no interest in ever doing this even though he just began an encore run of American Utopia , his acclaimed Broadway show that’s anchored around Talking Heads classics. Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz hasn’t seen the show, but he told Rolling Stone in 2020 that he wasn’t thrilled about the whole thing. “I wasn’t going to just drop in uninvited,” he said. “[But] I think it’s highly unlikely that without Talking Heads songs he would have even had a Broadway show.” Around the same time, Byrne explained his reluctance to Rolling Stone . “I’m trying to think of any reunions I might have seen where I felt, ‘This needed to happen,’ where it allows a band to move on to the next step,” he said.“With the Pixies, I thought it was terribly justified because the public caught up with what they were doing. So they finally got the audience that they deserved early on, whereas we did OK.” Sadly, this is probably about 10% .

Why They Split: If the Everly Brothers invented sibling rivalry in rock & roll, the Kinks perfected it. Ray and Dave Davies were at each other’s throats from nearly the moment the band burst onto the rock scene with “You Really Got Me” in 1964. Somehow or another, they stuck together until 1996 when they split in the face of lagging record sales and declining attendance at their concerts. Much like the Ramones, who split up the exact same year, they’d been around so long that people began to take them for granted.

Last Performance: Ray and Dave Davies (along with various former Kinks) have appeared in public at numerous award shows and functions during the past two decades, but the group hasn’t done a concert since 1996. Ray and Dave Davies did perform “You Really Got Me” at a Dave solo concert in 2015.

Odds of a Reunion: The brothers have already reunited in the studio during the past couple of years. Nobody has heard what they’ve done, but Ray and Dave say they hope to get some sort of Kinks release out in the near future. (We’ll believe it when we hear it, though.) A tour is another question. Ray hasn’t even gone on a solo tour in seven years. It’s possible they’ve just waited too long and gotten too old, but a single concert or a limited run in the next couple of years feels very possible. We’re putting it at 70% .

Led Zeppelin

Why They Split: Zeppelin drummer John Bonham died in 1980, causing the band to split. The remaining trio re-formed at Live Aid in 1985, an Atlantic Records anniversary concert in 1988, and their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Despite pleas from his bandmates and fans, Robert Plant has refused all offers of a reunion tour.

Last Performance: In December of 2007 Led Zeppelin performed their first full concert since Bonham died in 1980 at London’s 02 Arena in honor of the late Ahmet Ertegun. They spent months rehearsing a stellar two-hour show, but nothing more came of it. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were so frustrated with the situation that they auditioned a bunch of singers in 2008 and even looked seriously into a tour without Plant, but wisely canceled the whole thing before it got off the ground.

Odds of a Reunion: Robert Plant has been extremely clear that he has absolutely no interest in ever fronting Led Zeppelin again , and that he viewed the 02 Arena show as a perfect way to end the band. They could play every stadium in the world and make a billion dollars, but Robert Plant is rich enough and this is almost certainly never going to happen. 10% .

Why They Split: Sometimes a band just runs its course. R.E.M. had an incredible 30-year run, but in 2011 they mutually decided it was time to move on. “There is sadness because I will never play on the same stage as Peter and Michael again,” Mike Mills told Rolling Stone that year. “We’re doing this for good reasons, and we end up looking back at all the fun, the joy and the incredible opportunities we had. … We needed to prove, not only to our fans and critics but to ourselves, that we could still make great records. And we made two. We thought, ‘We’ve done it. Now let’s do something no other band has done: Shake hands and walk away as friends.'”

Last Performance: The band wrapped up their 2008 world tour in Mexico City on November 18th, 2008. The following March they played “E-Bow the Letter” with Patti Smith at their own tribute concert at Carnegie Hall. The only reunion since then took place on July 13th, 2016 when Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills played “Losing My Religion” at a private birthday party for their manager Bertis Downs in France.

Odds of a Reunion: The band says it’s never going to happen, but they all say that at first. Let’s see how they all feel in 10 years. Of course, they’ll be in their seventies by then. We’re going to say 30% .

Fleetwood Mac With Lindsey Buckingham

Why They Split: Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham split as a couple before Fleetwood Mac cut Rumours in 1976, but they somehow managed to spend the next few decades, off and on, in the band together. Their fraught history created fantastic sparks of onstage tension that kept fans coming back tour after tour, but by 2018, Nicks had had enough and made it clear she wouldn’t continue in the band if Buckingham remained.

Last Performance: On January 26th, 2018, just as Fleetwood Mac were gearing up for a world tour, the Grammys honored the band with a tribute show at Radio City Music Hall. They played a mini set that ended, appropriately enough, with “Go Your Own Way.” Behind the scenes, Nicks was fuming because she felt that Buckingham had been disrespectful during her speech. When it was done, Nicks pledged never to work with him again.

Odds of a Reunion: Buckingham sued the band shortly after he was kicked out. They settled out of court, and Mick Fleetwood initially said a reunion would be impossible. But they got back in touch after Mac co-founder Peter Green died in July 2020 and repaired their friendship. The drummer says today he’s willing to take Buckingham back, but the decision will come down to Nicks. Things weren’t helped when Buckingham compared her to Donald Trump in a 2021 Rolling Stone interview. But this is a band that has come back from far worse, and fans everywhere are praying for a farewell tour that unites the complete Rumours lineup. It feels possible, so we’re going to say 35% .

The White Stripes

Why They Split: The White Stripes toured in 2007 behind their new album Icky Thump, but the final dates were called off due to drummer Meg White’s “acute anxiety problem.” They announced their split in February of 2011. “The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue,” they said. “Nor any health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health. It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way. Both Meg and Jack hope this decision isn’t met with sorrow by their fans but that it is seen as a positive move done out of respect for the music that the band has created. It is also done with the utmost respect to those fans who’ve shared in those creations, with their feelings considered greatly.”

Last Performance: On February 20th, 2009, the White Stripes performed their 2002 song “We’re Going to Be Friends” on Conan O’Brien’s final Late Night show before his disastrous takeover of The Tonight Show.

Odds of a Reunion: They’re young enough that it seems likely their paths will cross again at some point down the road. Maybe they’ll headline Coachella in 2030. We’re going to put the odds of an eventual reunion at 60% .

‘NSync

Why They Split: In 2002, Justin Timberlake realized that the boy-band craze was quickly coming to an end. He called for a group hiatus and began to focus on his solo career. The others thought about carrying on as a four-piece, but wisely decided against it. Meanwhile, Justin went on to a huge solo career and never looked back.

Last Performance: The full five-piece hasn’t performed since a brief reunion with Timberlake in 2013 when MTV gave him the Video Vanguard award. The non-Justin members, however, played “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” with Ariana Grande at Coachella in 2019.

Odds of a Reunion: It seems like everyone in ‘NSync not named Justin Timberlake is thinking quite hard about a reunion tour these days. Even without their leader, the group could probably play very large venues and make quite a bit of money. So, the odds of a four-man reunion are probably somewhere around 80% and the odds a full reunion down at 40% .

Why They Split: The Smiths accomplished a lot during their five-year run, but when guitarist Johnny Marr quit the band in the summer of 1987 they simply couldn’t continue — despite a very brief attempt to soldier on with guitarist Ivor Perry.

Last Performance: The Smiths’ final show to date was at London’s Brixton Academy on December 12th, 1986. They finished the set with “Hand in Glove,” which was their first single just four years earlier.

Odds of a Reunion: Relations within the Smiths have been extremely poor for quite some time, especially after drummer Mike Joyce sued Morrissey for royalties. Morrissey hates even being asked about the possibility of a reunion, famously saying that he’d rather “eat his own testicles” than perform with the band. Amazingly, Johnny Marr revealed in his 2016 memoir that he met with Morrissey in 2008 and talked about re-forming the band minus Joyce. It never went anywhere, but the mere fact that Morrissey was willing to think about makes us put this at 10% .

Why They Split: Years of tension within Oasis finally reached a boiling point backstage at a Paris festival in August of 2009. Reports vary wildly about what happened, but the Gallagher brothers got into some sort of physical altercation and then refused to take the stage. The rest of the tour was canceled. “With some sadness and great relief I quit Oasis tonight,” Noel Gallagher said in a statement. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”

Last Performance: The final gig took place August 22nd, 2009, at the V Festival in Weston England. The Paris fight was six days later.

Odds of a Reunion: Unsurprisingly, the Gallagher brothers have varying takes on the prospect of coming back together. Liam would happily do it tomorrow, but Noel says he has little interest in ever seeing it happen. They’re both doing quite well touring on their own, but a reunion would pack stadiums around the world and net them a small fortune. It may take another decade or so, but odds of them doing it at some point down the line feel pretty likely. 80% .

Sonic Youth

Why They Split: This one is simple: Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon ended their marriage in 2011 and that was it for the band.

Last performance: Sonic Youth last played live on November 12th, 2011, at the Parque Brasil 500, Paulínia, Brazil. The final song they did was their 1988 classic “Teen Age Riot.”

Odds of a Reunion : Sonny and Cher still managed to do their variety shows years after they legally divorced. They probably didn’t love the idea, but money makes people do strange things. Moore and Gordon stand to make a ton should they ever decide to make the band happen again. We’ll say 25% .

Black Sabbath

Why They Split: The band re-formed with Ozzy Osbourne in 2012 for a reunion tour minus drummer Bill Ward. That led to the new LP 13 in 2013 and another tour. The only other move in the veteran-band playbook after that was a farewell tour.

Last Performance: They called it quits after a hometown show in Birmingham, England, on February 4th, 2017.

Odds of a Reunion : Ozzy Osbourne has gone through a series of horrific health issues in recent years that have derailed his solo farewell tour again and again, but he plans on returning to the road next year. More Sabbath gigs felt pretty iffy for a long time, but Ozzy has said he’s open to it if Bill Ward can find his way back into the fold. “Those final gigs in Birmingham were bittersweet because you think of how far we came, and how much we did, and it would have been good to have shared that together,” Osbourne said in 2019. “Maybe one day there’ll be one last gig, I don’t know.” He seems to be setting the stage for one final Sabbath blowout presuming everyone stays healthy. We’d say odds are 25% it’ll happen.

Simon and Garfunkel

Why They Split: Simon and Garfunkel somehow managed to get over their hatred of each other from 2003 to 2010, touring all over the world in that time and pulling in millions. But when Garfunkel’s vocal issues caused them to cancel a series of dates in 2010, old tensions flared up and they again went their separate ways.

Last Performance: They played “Mrs. Robinson” at the AFI Tribute to Mike Nichols on June 10th, 2010. It was the song that made them true pop superstars and Nichols made that happen, so it’s somewhat appropriate if that is indeed the last time they perform.

Odds of a Reunion: Paul Simon wrapped up his Homeward Bound farewell tour last year with a hometown show in Queens. He grew up with his buddy Artie not far from the concert grounds, but Garfunkel wasn’t onstage that night. We asked Simon about a possible reunion in 2016 and he gave a very blunt answer. “No, out of the question,” he said. “We don’t even talk.” As long as they are both alive, it is possible they’ll be a “How Terribly Strange to Be 80” tour at some point, but we’re putting the odds at 15% .

One Direction

Why They Split: One Direction started as five random contestants on the U.K. X Factor in 2010, but they quickly became one of the biggest acts in the world. They released five albums and played just about every stadium on the planet, but Zayn Malik quit the band in 2015, citing a desire to be a “normal 22-year-old.” Much like the defections of Ginger Spice and Jordan Knight before him, his exit marked the beginning of the end of the group.

Last Performance: They wrapped up their On the Road tour on October 31st, 2015, at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England. But in the weeks that followed, they played a handful of awards show and Christmas concerts. The last performance took place in Times Square on December 31st, 2015, as part of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special. The final song was “History,” and they were history once it was over.

Odds of a Reunion: Harry Styles has pulled a Justin Timberlake by transforming himself into a solo star who also takes the time to appear in an occasional movie. He’s also about to join the Marvel Universe as Thanos’ brother Eros. To put it another way, he’s doing quite fine on his own. That said, he’s just 27 and gravity will eventually hit his career. It might take another couple of decades, but we think its quite likely that the five-man lineup of One Direction will tour again someday. This one is an 85% .

Sex Pistols

Why They Split : The original Sex Pistols was a highly combustible unit even before they found any success, and manager Malcolm McLaren seemed to take an almost perverse delight in driving them apart. Founding bassist Glen Matlock was sacked in 1977 even though he was a gifted musician and a key songwriting voice. He was replaced by Sid Vicious, who looked the part, but couldn’t play a note on the bass and was helplessly addicted to heroin. The band imploded shortly after their inaugural U.S. tour in early 1978.

Last Performance: Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock reunited in 1996 for the Filthy Lucre tour, where they became the first band in history to admit that the motivation behind their reformation was 100% financial. They still put on incredible shows, and they continued with more live activity in 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2008. The last run was a series of European festivals. Steve Jones described the time period in his memoir Lonely Boy as an endless nightmare marked by fights with Rotten, and paydays that were way less than they expected due to the global recession. “I was in hell,” he wrote. The last show took place on September 5th, 2008, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

Odds of a Reunion: Relations between Johnny Rotten and his fellow Sex Pistols have been pretty poor during the past few years, but they reached an all-time low when production began on the Danny Boyle limited FX series Pistol. It’s based on Steve Jones’ memoir, and Rotten is so livid about the whole thing that he took the band to court to stop it. He lost the battle, and he’s beyond pissed. “I am the lead singer and songwriter, frontman, image, the lot, you name it,” he said after the defeat. “I put it there. How is that not relevant?” This isn’t a man that’s going to be belting out “God Save the Queen” on the same stage as his former bandmates anytime soon. This one is a 20% , and even that feels generous.

Why They Split: The original 1984 breakup happened because the three members of the Police were sick of fighting with each other and Sting was itching to go solo. They split again after their 2007–08 reunion tour since they played 151 shows, grossed $362 million, and realized the enthusiasm behind their return would diminish if they kept at it much longer. Besides, Sting was only willing to live in the past for so long and wanted to return to his solo career.

Last Performance: They wrapped things up on August 7th, 2009, at Madison Square Garden with an epic concert that opened with a cover of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and culminated with Sting shaving off his long beard onstage and belting out “Next to You” to end the night. They walked offstage to the Looney Tunes music and Porky Pig announcing, “That’s all folks.”

Odds of a Reunion : The last reunion worked because they hadn’t toured in 23 years and there was a huge demand to see them live again. At this point, all their OG fans have had to chance to pony up big bucks to relive their youth. The have the T-shirt, the live album, the concert film, and very good memories. “The First Tour Since 2008!” wouldn’t have the same kick as “The First Tour Since Synchronicity !” Sting remains a very large draw on the road and plays a Police-heavy set. He did the reunion thing and has no desire to go there again. Besides, Andy Summers turns 80 next year. This one is at 15% .

Why They Split: The French electronic-music duo of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter are so mysterious that they’ve spent much of their career hiding behind enormous helmets, rarely speaking to the press. The gambit has worked since they only grew more popular with each album and tour. Their 2006–07 Alive tour saw them playing on a giant pyramid-like stage, and the reviews were ecstatic all across the globe. They burst through to true mainstream success with their 2013 LP Random Access Memories and the hit “Get Lucky,” but in 2021 they quietly announced their split via a YouTube video they simply called “Epilogue.” It showed one robot blowing up and another walking away.

Last Performance: They could have taken Random Access Memories on the road in 2013 and played just about every stadium on the planet. For reasons they never explained, no such tour happened. But they did occasionally show up at the Grammys to play a song or two. The last time took place on February 12th, 2017, when they did “Starboy” and “I Feel It Coming” with the Weeknd. Nobody knew it at the time, but they were witnessing the end of an era. It was their final public appearance.

Odds of a Reunion: If Daft Punk were motivated mainly by money, we would have gotten a lot more live shows out of them over the past 15 years. The cash they left on the table by not doing that is hard to calculate, but it’s a very hefty sum. Despite that, their sheer unpredictability makes it very hard to look into their future. The guys are only in their mid-forties, and who can say what they might decide to do in 2030 or even 2040? We’re going to put the reunion odds at 33% .

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You remember 2007. We were at war in Iraq. Britney Spears shaved her head. The Sopranos ended. Mad Men premiered.

And R.E.M. gave its last public performance at its Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

That last item changed on Thursday night in New York, as R.E.M. was inducted into the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame and marked the occasion by performing for the first time together in years.

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The band — lead vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry — reunited for the 53rd annual Induction and Awards Dinner, which took place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. They played an acoustic version of their Top 5 hit, “Losing My Religion,” for a rapt and delighted audience.

R.E.M. was recognized alongside Hillary Lindsey, Dean Pitchford and Timothy Mosley (Timbaland), and Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan. Diane Warren received the Johnny Mercer Award and SZA received the Hal David Starlight Award.

Berry left the band in 1997, two years after suffering a double brain aneurysm on stage in Switzerland. The group eventually disbanded in 2011.

“Writing songs and having a catalog of work that we’re all proud of that is out there for the whole world for the rest of time is hands down the most important aspect of what we did as a band,” Stipe said at the event. “Second to that is that we managed to do so for all these decades and remain friends — and not just friends but dear friends, friends for life.”

“What a ride it has been,” he added. “It truly means the world to us that you recognize us tonight. And for that, we thank you for this incredible honor.”

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R.E.M., new Studio Album and Comeback Tour in 2025?

• By Susan Garner
• Last updated on June 20, 2024

• Hot June 19, 2024 Mike Mills Named Sexiest Musician Alive
• Love June 20, 2024 Michael Stipe: Secretly Married?
• Rumor Central June 2024 Is R.E.M. secretly gay and hiding in the closet?

Have R.E.M. been working on a new album? While representatives are keeping tight-lipped, reports have been circulating on the Internet. There have been strong rumors that the rock band is finally returning to the recording studio working on a what might be a back-to-roots album.

UPDATE 20/06/2024 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

According to a source, rumors of R.E.M. (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, ed) working in recording studio are true, with as many as eight songs having been put to tape. “ It’s still in the early stages, ” “ They got security on the doors to ensure no-one hears a whisper, ” a source said.

World Tour To Follow New Album?

R.E.M. are rumoured to be planning a worldwide tour at the end of 2025. When contacted, a representative had no information on a new album, or any of the rock band’s future plans. This isn’t the first time in recent memory reports have surfaced about R.E.M. recording sessions. Fans will be anxiously awaiting...

Do you think R.E.M. will pick up right where he left off and deliver another excellent album? Have you heard any rumors about the new album? Let us know!!

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