1980

4 April 1980 - St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Athens, GA
notes: Rehearsal for first performance

5 April 1980 - St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Athens, GA
support: The Side Effects
possible set:(1st Set) - I Can't Control Myself / God Save The Queen / Narrator / Just A Touch / Baby I / Action / Needles And Pins / Hippy Hippy Shake / There She Goes Again / All The Right Friends / Shakin' All Over / Secret Agent Man / A Girl Like You / Permanent Vacation / I Can Only Give You Everything / Dangerous Times / Different Girl / Mystery To Me / (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone / Lisa Says / Nervous Breakdown / Schéhérazade
(2nd Set) - Honky Tonk Women / One Nation Under A Groove / Roadrunner / California Sun / Gloria
notes: First ever R.E.M. performance. Some reports have the band playing under the name 'Twisted Kites', other reports claim there was no band name. Song order is not known (although I Can't Control Myself and God Save The Queen have been acknowledged to be the first two songs played) and it's not known what other songs were played

18/19 April 1980 - St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Athens, GA
event: Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe decide on the name R.E.M. over Negro Eyes, Slut Bank and Cans Of Piss

19 April 1980 - 11:11 Koffee Club, Athens, GA
audience: approx. 150
notes: First gig under the name R.E.M. The show was ended around 2am when police closed it down due to the venue being unlicensed

6 May 1980 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
supporting: The Brains
set included: Shakin' All Over / Secret Agent Man / (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone

13 May 1980 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
support: The Swindles
set included: Shakin' All Over

15 May 1980 - Memorial Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
supporting: The Brains
notes: This show was originally planned for Legion Field but was forced indoors due to rain

16 May 1980 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
supporting: Pylon

21 May 1980 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
support: The Smarts

30 May 1980 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
support: The Teeveez set: Baby I / Route 66 / Scheherazade / Lisa Says / Mystery To Me / Chappaquiddick (She Said) / All The Right Friends / A Girl Like You / Dangerous Times / Mediocrity / Shakin' All Over / I've Got A Charm / Body Count / A Different Girl

3 June 1980 - The Mad Hatter, Athens, GA

6 June 1980 - Wuxtry Records, Atlanta, GA
tracks included: Dangerous Times / All The Right Friends / Different Girl / Narrator / Just A Touch / Baby I / Mystery To Me / Permanent Vacation
notes: A pre-show practise session, recorded by video camera with the intention to produce a promotional clip for getting further bookings, which was never pursued. This performance spawned the first unofficial bootleg cassette titled 'Slurred', and can now be found on the CD bootleg "Early Movements", and the LP bootlegs "Chronic Murmurings" and "Pretty Pictures"

6 June 1980 - The Warehouse, Atlanta, GA
supporting: Space Heaters, Red Meat and Sprouts

7 June 1980 - WUOG Radio, University Of Georgia, Athens, GA
notes: Interview with Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe

7 June 1980 - High Shoals Beach, High Shoals, GA
supporting: Stillwater
notes: According to Michael during the KCRW performance on 3 April 1991, Bill had drunk too much prune juice at this particular show, and had to sneak out into the bushes to relieve himself

30 June 1980 - The Mad Hatter, Athens, GA

5 July 1980 - Agora Ballroom, Atlanta, GA
support: The Basics, The Rabbits

9 July 1980 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
notes: Benefit show for John Kupris, Judge (a friend of Bertis?)

15 July 1980 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA
supporting: Gang Of Four

16 July 1980 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA
supporting: Gang Of Four

18 July 1980 - The Station, Carrboro, NC
notes: Jefferson Holt, who attends all three NC shows, sees R.E.M. for the first time

19 July 1980 - The Station, Carrboro, NC

21 July 1980 - The Pier, Raleigh, NC
encore included: Gloria
notes: Gloria featured Joe Thomas on guitar

22 July 1980 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

28 July 1980 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
notes: peformance by band 'Pre-Cave', featuring Tom Smith, Carol Levy and Michael Stipe

1 August 1980 - Agora Ballroom, Atlanta, GA
support: The Restraints

6 August 1980 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
notes: Benefit show in aid of the 40 Watt Club

13 August 1980 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

17 August 1980 - Agora Ballroom, Atlanta, GA

19 August 1980 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA
support: Love Tractor

23 September 1980 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA

24 September 1980 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA
set included: Hippy Hippy Shake

3 October 1980 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

4 October 1980 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
set: Nervous Breakdown / Just A Touch / A Girl Like You / Dangerous Times / There She Goes Again / I Can Only Give You Everything / All The Right Friends/ (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Body Count / Hippy Hippy Shake / Action / Narrator / Hey Hey Nadine / Gardening At Night / Scheherazade / Lisa Says / Mystery To Me / (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone / Permanent Vacation / Gloria-Shakin' All Over-Respect / White Tornado
notes: This show can be found on the vinyl bootleg "Bodycount At Tyrone's" and the CD bootleg "20th Century Boys Vol. 2", minus Nervous Breakdown, Gloria-Shakin' All Over-Respect and White Tornado. This is the earliest R.E.M. show to be bootlegged

8 October 1980 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA

30 October 1980 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
notes: peformance by band 'Nest (adj)', featuring Tom Smith, Carol Levy and Michael Stipe

6 November 1980 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
support: Little Tigers

20 November 1980 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
notes: Benefit show in aid of the 40 Watt Club

6 December 1980 - Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA
audience: 4,000
supporting: The Police
notes: During the last song Michael invited anyone to come up on the stage and dance if they could get past security. The stage got packed.

20 December 1980 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA

1981

16 January 1981 - The Milestone, Charlotte, NC
Poster

17 January 1981 - The Milestone, Charlotte, NC

30 January 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
set: Just A Touch / Sitting Still / Dangerous Times / There She Goes Again / Get On Their Way (Get On Back Home) / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Shaking Through / Wait / Windout / Gardening At Night / Ages Of You / Schéhérazade / Lisa Says / Mystery To Me (2 Girls) / Chappaquiddick
encore: White Tornado / (Aunties Quilt) / I Can't Control Myself / Skank / Gloria-Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together-Respect / Tighten Up / Route 66 (w/Paul Scales) / Shakin' All Over
notes: Stipe says this is the first ever performance of 'Get On Their Way', which was titled 'Get On Back Home' at this show. Also the first known performance of 'Shaking Through' and 'Skank'

31 January 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

5 February 1981 - New York, New York, Augusta, GA
set included: (Theme From) The Monkees / Nervous Breakdown / Rave On / Tighten Up / Walk, Don't Run / Do You Love Me / Just Like Me / For Your Love / Route 66 / (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone / Gloria

8 February 1981 - Bombay Studios, Smyrna, GA
event: The band make their first studio recording. The following tracks are recorded with studio owner and producer Joe Perry: Sitting Still / Gardening At Night / Radio Free Europe / Shaking Through / Mystery To Me / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Narrator / White Tornado

14 February 1981 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
notes: peformance by band 'Boat Of', featuring Tom Smith, David Gamble, Sandra-Lee Phipps, Carol Levy and Michael Stipe

20 February 1981 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA
supporting: Joe 'King' Carrasco

21 February 1981 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA
supporting: Joe 'King' Carrasco

13 March 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
set: Radio Free Europe / Burning Down / Dangerous Times / All The Right Friends / Shaking Through / Body Count / Pretty Persuasion / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Hey Hey Nadine / That Beat / Sitting Still / 9-9 / Windout / Gardening At Night
notes: May not be the complete show. There is some conjecture as to whether this is the true date and venue of this show, which is currently being investigated.
First known performance of 'Radio Free Europe' and '9-9' (given the holes in the timeline for this period, probably not their debut performances though)

14 March 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

19 March 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
supporting: Pylon
support: Love Tractor, Method Actors, The Side Effects

26 March 1981 - K.O. Jam's, Murfreesboro, TN

27 March 1981 - Cantrell's, Nashville, TN

28 March 1981 - The Milestone, Charlotte, NC

31 March 1981 - Friday's, Greensboro, NC
notes: The bootleg 'T.G.I.F.' lists the show as this date, but is in fact 6 November 1981, although this show did take place, as confirmed by the poster.
About the venue itself, from an interview by David Fricke with Peter Buck on 15 November 1990 taken from The Rolling Stone Files book (pg. 114): "There was a place in Greensboro, North Carolina, called Friday's. It was a pizza parlor, and the guy had bands play. It was an L-shaped room; you could see through the bar to the ovens, with the guy with the long stick with pizzas on it, and see us, too. He'd charge a dollar, we'd get 150 people in there, and we'd get the door. People would let us sleep on the floor. There were clubs like that in every city"
Poster

2 April 1981 - New York, New York, Augusta, GA
set 1: Rave On / Burning Down / A Girl Like You / Get On Their Way / There She Goes Again / Pretty Persuasion / Body Count / A Different Crowd / Action / Narrator / Hey Hey Nadine
set 2: Dangerous Times / All The Right Friends / Little Girl / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Windout / Gardening At Night / Wait / Scheherzade / Lisa Says / Mystery To Me / Gloria
set 3: White Tornado / Just A Touch / I Can't Control Myself / 9-9 / In The Nighttime / Pills / Nervous Breakdown / Baby I / Permanent Vacation

3 April 1981 - Memorial Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
supporting: Joe 'King' Carrasco
support: Jason And The Nashville Scorchers
notes: There is a tape in circulation claiming it is this show, however that can't be substantiated yet. It is currently thought to be on 13 March 1981, however some more investigating it taking place to determine the true date and venue. There is no dispute however that this show took place, just not the recording is of this show.

4 April 1981 - The Station, Carrboro, NC
notes: After this show, the band offer Jefferson Holt the position of full-time manager

6 April 1981 - The Pier, Raleigh, NC

10 April 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
set 1: Rave On / Burning Down / A Girl Like You / Get On Their Way / There She Goes Again / Pretty Persuasion / Body Count / Different Girl / Action / Narrator / Hey Hey Nadine / Baby I / Permanent Vacation
set 2: Radio Free Europe / Sitting Still / Dangerous Times / All The Right Friends / Shaking Through / Little Girl / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Windout / Gardening At Night / Wait (w/Lynda & Cyndi Stipe) / Schéhérazade / Lisa Says / Mystery To Me
encore: White Tornado
notes: This show was originally thought to have been from 10 January 1981, but has been attributed to this date instead because:
1. At the end of Get On Their Way at the 30 Jan 81 show, Stipe says that was the first time they've played that - and sounds very basic as well - they called it Get On Back Home - therefore it is an older set than the 30 Jan show.
2. The setlist is virtually identical to the 2 April setlist - it is easy to get the numbers wrong - 1/10//81 v 4/10/81.
This show can be found on the vinyl bootlegs "Georgia Peaches - Ripe!", as well as an edited version on "So Much Younger Then". The double CD bootleg "Tyrone's Athens 1981" also features the show, minus Rave On and White Tornado. 'Burning Down' comes after 'Action' on these bootlegs, however a new recording has been unearthed where Burning Down appears to have been played after Rave On instead. After hearing the new version, it's now my view Burning Down should be second in the setlist, and not after Action.

11 April 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

15 April 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
tracks recorded: Sitting Still / Sitting Still (incomplete fast version) / Radio Free Europe / White Tornado (1) / White Tornado (2)
notes: First recording session with Mitch Easter. These tracks were recorded for R.E.M.'s Cassette Set audio tape, to be sent out to clubs, magazines, and record companies. The Cassette Set features 'Sitting Still', 'Radio Free Europe' and 'White Tornado' (2). Also on the cassette are small clips of the fast version of 'Sitting Still', and the first take of White Tornado, which is halted half way through due to some wrong notes by Peter Buck. About 400 copies of the set were produced

23 April 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
notes: Mitch Easter remixes 'Radio Free Europe' from 15 April, creating 'Radio Free Europe (Dub Mix)'. The mix made it onto some copies of the Cassette Set, and also the LP bootleg 'Smokin' In The Boys Room', and CD bootlegs 'Rave On', and 'Essential Demos Vol. 1'

24 April 1981 - B&L Warehouse, Athens, GA
supporting: XTC
set included: Gardening At Night

12 May 1981 - Tyrone's OC, Athens, GA
set 1: All The Right Friends / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Body Count / Just A Touch / Sitting Still / Permanent Vacation / Get On Their Way / Shaking Through / Romance / Laughing / Pretty Persuasion / 9-9 / Windout / Gardening At Night / White Tornado
set 2: That Beat-Skank / Smalltown Girl / Burning Down / Dangerous Times / There She Goes Again / Stumble
set 3: Radio Free Europe / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
encore: The Lion Sleeps Tonight-Stranded In The Jungle-Skank / That Beat
notes: This majority of this show can be found on the CD bootleg "That Beat In Time", albeit in a different order

14 May 1981 - Friday's, Greensboro, NC

22 May 1981 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA

24 May 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
notes: The band return to the Drive-In with Johnny Hibbert to record overdubs for 'Radio Free Europe'

25 May 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
notes: Radio Free Europe and Sitting Still are mixed by Johnny Hibbert for proposed release on his Hib-Tone record label

2 June 1981 - Von Hemmon's, Columbia, SC
set: Body Count / Just A Touch / Sitting Still / Hey Hey Nadine / That Beat / Mystery To Me / Burning Down / Romance / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville
notes: This show was originally thought to have been on 2 February 1981 but further evidence suggests it took place on this date

2-3 June 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
notes: Mitch Easter mixes his own version of 'Radio Free Europe'

3 June 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

4 June 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
notes: 2 sets, the early set included There She Goes Again

5 June 1981 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA
supporting: 999

6 June 1981 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA
supporting: 999

June 1981 - Bombay Studios, Symrna, GA
notes: The band return to Bombay with Johnny Hibbert. They bring with them the two versions of 'Radio Free Europe', the one mixed by Hibbert, and the other mixed by Easter, and use the studio to decide which one to put on the Hib-Tone single. Hibbert's mix wins and can be found on the original Hib-Tone single. Easter's mix can be found on the Eponymous album

11 June 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
notes:Performance by 'Boat Of' featuring Mike Green, Carol Levy, Tom Smith & Michael Stipe

13 June 1981 - Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
notes: Playing at the summer ball whose theme was 'Lust In Space'. From the Q magazine R.E.M. special (pg. 118): "'Princeton Guys', recalls Buck. 'The young hearts and minds of America, walking around with big aluminum foil penises. We got five encores and people were throwing their metal dildos onstage'"

17 June 1981 - The Ritz, New York, NY
supporting: Gang Of Four

18 June 1981 - The Ritz, New York, NY
supporting: Gang Of Four

19 June 1981 - The Left Bank, Mount Vernon, NY
supporting: Gang Of Four

20 June 1981 - Emerald City, Cherry Hill, NJ
supporting: Bunnydrums / Gang Of Four

21 June 1981 - The Bayou, Washington D.C.
supporting: Gang Of Four

23 June 1981 - Agora Ballroom, Atlanta, GA
supporting: Gang Of Four

24 June 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
supporting: Gang Of Four

July 1981
event: Radio Free Europe/Sitting Still released on Hib-Tone Records

July 1981 - Club Foot, Austin, TX
supporting: The Judy's
support: The Make

July 1981 - Club Numbers, Houston, TX
notes: The band were forced to play a version of 'Whole Lotta Love' for six people glowering at the band from the urine soaked dancefloor

16 July 1981 - The Ritz, New York, NY

23 July 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

24 July 1981 - Night Gallery, Athens, GA

24 July 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

August 1981 - Art Department, University Of Georgia, Athens, GA
notes: It's possible this show took place in either December or Jan-Feb 1981

6 August 1981 - Friday's, Greensboro, NC

7 August 1981 - The Station, Chapel Hill, NC

19 August 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

20 August 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

25 August 1981 - The Scorpio, Charlotte, NC
notes: This show was billed as "Charlotte's First Gay New Wave Disco and Costume Party", The Scorpio apparently being a lesbian bar. Tickets were $3 benefitting a variety of gay/lesbian charities
Poster

September 1981 - Unknown Venue, Philadelphia, PA

16 September 1981 - Pilgrim Theater, New York, NY
supporting: The Bloods
set: Ages Of You / White Tornado / 1,000,000 / Shaking Through / Romance / Laughing / Sitting Still / Pretty Persuasion / That Beat

19 September 1981 - Emerald City, Cherry Hill, NJ
supporting: Bow Wow Wow

22 September 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
set:Ages Of You / 1,000,000 / Shaking Through / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Body Count / Just A Touch / Little Girl / Wait / Sitting Still / I Can't Control Myself / Burning Down / Get On Their Way / Romance / Laughing / Pretty Persuasion / That Beat / Gardening At Night / Windout / 9-9 / Radio Free Europe / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
encore: White Tornado / There She Goes Again (w/Vic Varney) / Stumble-Skank-Saturday Night

22 September 1981 - Night Gallery, Athens, GA
notes:Performance by 'Boat Of' featuring David Gamble, Carol Levy, Sandra-Lee Phipps & Tom Smith; choreography by Mike Green & Michael Stipe

23 September 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA
set 1: Just A Touch / Ages Of You / 1,000,000 / Get On Their Way / There She Goes Again / Action / Wait / Sitting Still / Permanent Vacation / Mystery To Me
set 2: White Tornado / I Can't Control Myself / Burning Down / Shaking Through / Laughing / Romance / Pretty Persuasion / That Beat / Stumble / Radio Free Europe / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
encore: The Lion Sleeps Tonight / Skank / Gardening At Night / Windout / 9-9

2 October 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
notes: The band arrive and set up their equipment

3 October 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
basic tracks recorded: 1,000,000 / Ages Of You / Gardening At Night / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) / Stumble / Shaking Through / White Tornado / 9-9 (attempted but abandoned)
notes: Apart from 9-9 all tracks are available in some format or another. 1,000,000 and Stumble made it onto the Chronic Town EP. Ages Of You and Carnival Of Sorts can be found on the LP bootlegs Chronic Murmurings and Really Exciting Music and the CD bootleg The Essential Demos Vol. 1. Gardening At Night was released on Eponymous. Shaking Through is available on Essential Demos Vol. 1, and White Tornado is on the LP bootleg Really Exciting Music

4 October 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
notes: Jazz Lips is recorded

5 October 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
notes: Easter mixes tracks

7-8 October 1981 - Drive-In Studio, Winston-Salem, NC
notes: Final mixing sessions

8 October 1981 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
set included: Paint It, Black / Pills / California Dreamin' / I Was Just Watching / Through With You / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: Joined on stage by members of The Side Effects, Oh-Ok and Pylon

9 October 1981 - Von Henmon's, Columbia, SC

20 October 1981 - Friday's, Greensboro, NC
support: The dB's

23 October 1981 - Zappa's, Brooklyn, NY
early set: Ages Of You / Shaking Through / There She Goes Again / Laughing / Romance / Sitting Still / That Beat / Mystery To Me / Permanent Vacation / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
late set: Just A Touch / 1,000,000 / I Can't Control Myself / Burning Down / Unknown / Pretty Persuasion / Stumble / Improv instrumental (drum kit has a problem) / Gardening At Night / Windout / 9-9 / Radio Free Europe
notes: Described by Peter as one of the most pitiful moments in the band's career - "There were six people there. Maybe eight. The guy said he'd feed us, he gave us a box of Kentucky Fried Chicken that he'd sat under a drip in the ceiling so that it was covered in water; we lost $150 because we drank, and we didn't realise he was charging us for drinks; I got in a fight with a skinhead outside in the parking lot; and we got lost for four hours in Brooklyn before the show" - from It Crawled From The South, Marcus Gray (first edition, pg.43)

24 October 1981 - The Left Bank, Mount Vernon, NY
supporting: Siouxsie and the Banshees

25 October 1981 - The Mudd Club, New York, NY
notes: Apparently due to the small number of people in attendance, the club owner refused to pay the band any money, so they played the show for free

October 1981 - The Cellar, Queens College, Flushing, NY
support: The Bongos
notes: It's possible that The Bongos were the headlining band

29 October 1981 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA

31 October 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

November 1981 - Cantrell's, Nashville, TN
support: Jason and the Nashville Scorchers

November 1981 - Antenna, Memphis, TN
support: Barking Dogs

5 November 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

6 November 1981 - Friday's, Greensboro, NC
set 1: Just A Touch / Burning Down / Ha (We Get Paid For It) / Shaking Through / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / There She Goes Again / Permanent Vacation / Pretty Persuasion / That Beat / Mystery To Me / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
set 2: Rave On / Ages Of You / I Can't Control Myself / Laughing / Romance / Chained To The Wall / Sitting Still / Wolves, Lower / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Radio Free Europe / Stumble / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: This show can be found on the CD bootleg 'T.G.I.F', minus Stumble and Carnival Of Sorts. The bootleg lists the date as 31 March 1981, but is in fact this date. 'Ha (We Get Paid For It) is the arbitrary title of this song, it's unknown what the true intended title was, as it was quickly dropped from the set and wasn't recorded in the studio

7 November 1981 - Viceroy Park, Charlotte, NC
set 1: Just A Touch / Burning Down / Shaking Through / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / There She Goes Again / Permanent Vacation / Pretty Persuasion / That Beat / Mystery to Me / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
set 2: Ages Of You / I Can't Control Myself / Ha (We Get Paid For It) / Laughing / Romance / Sitting Still / Wolves, Lower / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / 1,000,000 / Radio Free Europe

13 November 1981 - 688 Club, Atlanta, GA
support: Let's Active
notes: Peter Buck joins Let's Active during this, their debut show. In return members of Let's Active join R.E.M. for their encore

17 November 1981 - Merlyn's, Madison, WI
set 1: Sitting Still / Mystery To Me / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
set 2: Ages Of You / 1,000,000 / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Wolves, Lower / Pretty Persuasion / Stumble / Gardening At Night
notes: Set 1 is incomplete, as the person who taped the show got there late. For those with a copy of the show, Gardening At Night is cut off due to the taper accidentally recording over the end of REM's set with another artist, hence set 2 being incomplete as well. It's fairly safe to assume 9-9 and Windout would have followed, with Radio Free Europe or Skank likely to end the set

23 November 1981 - Off The Wall Hall, Lawrence, KS
support: The Mortal, Micronotz
notes: This show was originally thought to have occurred on 23 November 1982, however a poster confirms it as this date
Poster

26 November 1981 - First Avenue Club, Minneapolis, MN
set 1: Romance / Sitting Still / Mystery To Me / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
set 2: Ages Of You / There She Goes Again / Pretty Persuasion / Stumble / Permanent Vacation / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / That Beat / Wolves, Lower
encore: White Tornado / Radio Free Europe / Skank
notes: Set 1 is incomplete, probably missing the first six songs, as it seemed to be standard to play 10 songs per set.
From an interview by David Fricke with Peter Buck on 15 November 1990 taken from The Rolling Stone Files book (pg. 114): "Minneapolis was very good to us from the beginning. We played to twenty people on Thanksgiving 1981, and every one of them came up to us afterwards and invited us to their house for a party". From the tape I've heard I think he's accurate in his crowd count.
Despite Peter's fond memories, there still seems to be a lot of heckling occurring through the show. During 'Mystery To Me' Michael adds 'Go home yourself!' and also 'Trying to look so cool/I Bet you think the Clash are really boss'. Before 'Permanent Vacation' he adds 'We ain't faggots, we're Georgians'. During '9-9', half the audience seems to invade the stage, and some person can be heard howling into the microphone. When the song is over, Michael can be heard to say 'who the fuck are you?'. After 'Windout' he then says 'if anyone else wants to dance on stage you have to ask first'.
As if Skank wasn't an unusual song already, on this occasion Stipe's lyric consisted of the phrase 'The opposite of plethora is dearth' for the most of the song, but not before someone in the audience managed to scream into the microphone 'come to Ann Arbor, Michigan!'.
In an interview a year later, Michael and Peter claimed that they accidentally hurtled themselves towards the drums, resulting in the drums, Bill, Michael and Peter all falling 10 feet off the stage onto 3 unsuspecting people, who being hardcore, loved it. Michael then claimed they stole Peter's shoes and made him sign them. Whether this is true, or something made up during a dull interview you can decide. Unless it happened before the show started being recorded, it isn't audible to my ears!

November 1981 - University Of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
supporting: Oingo Boingo

2 December 1981 - Memorial Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
supporting: U2

4 December 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

5 December 1981 - Tyrone's O.C., Athens, GA

13 December 1981 - Biltmore Hotel, Atlanta, GA
supporting: Bow Wow Wow

29 December 1981 - Roseland Ballroom, New York City, NY
support: Bush Tetras
supporting: Gang of Four

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