Kenneth Glad
The original lineup has performed together twice in recent years, but neither appearance was announced as a reunion. The band’s guitarist says those brief moments will not lead to a wider return.
Peter Buck has ruled out a full-scale R.E.M. reunion, saying he does not want to revive the group for money, attention or nostalgia. The guitarist remains satisfied with the decision to end the band and had no interest in turning its back catalogue into a reunion tour.
“When we decided it was the end, I felt fine with it,” Buck told MOJO. “That was the story – it had a beginning and an end.”
His comments follow two rare appearances by R.E.M.’s founding lineup. Michael Stipe, Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry performed “Losing My Religion” after entering the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York on June 13, 2024.
In February 2025, they played “Pretty Persuasion” at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia, during a tribute show led by Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy. Both were one-song appearances rather than announced reunion concerts.
R.E.M. formed in Athens in 1980 and became one of the most prominent American alternative rock bands of that decade. Berry left in 1997, two years after suffering an aneurysm during a concert in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The split still stands
The remaining members continued as a trio, playing their final official concert in Mexico City on November 18, 2008. They announced the band’s breakup in 2011.
Buck said an album-focused comeback would go against the way the band had operated during its career. He also rejected the prospect of appearing at festivals mainly to perform older hits:
“I just don’t want to be the legacy act at Glastonbury playing our 40-year-old hits. It’s great that we did all that stuff when we did it, and I’m really proud of the performances. I don’t need the money, and my ego? Well, I’ve had enough applause to last 10 lifetimes.”
Buck now performs with Drink The Sea, alongside Barrett Martin, Alain Johannes, Lisette Garcia and Duke Garwood. Louder Sound reports that the group has prepared a third studio album and scheduled concerts in Britain.
Sources: Louder Sound, MOJO
