A few hours after the narration CBS Mornings it would take “a comet” for them to appear together again, REM did just that. Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry took to the stage for the first time in 15 years at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Marriot Marquis Hotel in New York last night, performing a surprise rendition of ” Losing My Religion.” Watch video from the crowd below.
In a speech acknowledging their induction, Stipe said: “Writing songs and having a body of work that we're all proud of – that's out there for the whole world for the rest of the year – is the most important aspect of this . we did it as a band. The second is that we made it through all these decades and remained friends, and not just friends, but dear friends — friends for life.” He added, “We're four people who, very early on, decided we were going to own our own bosses. We would share our rights and songs equally. We were all for one and one for all. We set out to do our job accordingly. It turned out good, sometimes great, and what a ride it was.”
Until last night, REM's official final concert took place in 2008 at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, as documented on the band's YouTube. After splitting up in 2011, they've been putting out a number of rarities for good causes and recently embarked on a reissue campaign, with the latest installment being Above.
Re-watch Ryan Dobal's interview 'Michael Stipe on the music that made him'.
