January/February 1983 - The 900 Room, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
set included: Gardening At Night / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars), and presumably much of the Murmur material
notes: This show occurred sometime during the recording of Murmur while the band were in Charlotte, exact date has not yet been determined. Stipe's microphone stand broke, and the band did a couple of instrumentals while duct tape was hunted down6,7 January 1983 - Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC
track recorded: Catapult
notes: Second trial recording session for Murmur with Mitch Easter and Don Dixon. Catapult was recorded, mixed and completed over these two days, and is the version that made it onto Murmur11 January 1983 - I&I Club, Athens, GA
support: Shelf Life12 January 1983 - I&I Club, Athens, GA
support: Art In The Dark20,21 January 1983 - Studio A, Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC
tracks recorded: Radio Free Europe / Laughing / Talk About The Passion / Moral Kiosk / Perfect Circle / Catapult / 9-9 / Shaking Through / We Walk / West Of The Fields / Ages Of You / Romance
notes: Murmur sessions continue with Mitch Easter and Don Dixon. The backing track to the Hib-Tone version of Sitting Still is remixed and adjusted, and a new vocal track is added. This recording of Romance is not available anywhere. Ages Of You can be found on the various artists compilation 'Live For Life'. The rest of the tracks can be found on Murmur24,27 January 1983 - Studio A, Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC
notes: Murmur sessions continue1-3 February 1983 - Studio A, Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC
7-10 February 1983 - Studio A, Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC
12 February 1983 - I&I Club, Athens, GA
13-16 February 1983 - Studio A, Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC
17 February 1983 - Studio A, Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC
tracks recorded: That Beat / All The Right Friends / Tighten Up / There She Goes Again / Moon River / Pretty Persuasion
notes: All tracks are recorded live to two-track. They can all be found on the CD bootleg 'Stab It And Steer It'. There She Goes Again can also be found on Dead Letter Office (along with All The Right Friends on the IRS reissue). The IRS years version of Reckoning also includes Tighten Up, Moon River and Pretty Persuasion18-23 February 1983 - Studio A, Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC
notes: Murmur sessions continue12 March 1983 - 9:30 Club, Washington DC
support: Let's Active
set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Catapult / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Laughing / Wolves, Lower / Romance / Sitting Still / 1,000,000 / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore: Last Date / Ages Of You / We Walk / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: Mike introduces Last Date as 'this is a slow dance song as I can tell you have plenty of room'. This show can be found on the CD bootleg "The Sound And The Fury" as well as "Unauthorised Live Volume 2"17 March 1983 - I&I Club, Athens, GA
support: Chain of Command18 March 1983 - I&I Club, Athens, GA
support: Bang19 March 1983 - I&I Club, Athens, GA
notes: This show was 'Teen Nite', no alcohol and no one over 19 allowed26 March 1983 - Page Auditorium, Durham, NC
supporting: The English Beat27 March 1983 - Memorial Hall, UNC, Chapel Hill, NC
supporting: The English Beat
set: Catapult / Pilgrimage / Talk About The Passion / Wolves, Lower / Harborcoat / Sitting Still / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe / Seven Chinese Brothers / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)Late March 1983 - Bandshell, Daytona, FL
audience: 20,000
supporting:The English Beat31 March 1983 - University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
supporting:The English Beat
set included: Gardening At Night / Stumble / Wolves, Lower2 April 1983 - University Of The South, Sewanee, TN
support: Jason and the Scorchers5 April 1983 - Memorial Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
support: Jason and The Scorchers
notes: Jason and The Scorchers guest on a few songs7 April 1983 - Bogarts, Cincinnati, OH
supporting:The English Beat8 April 1983 - Grand Ballroom, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
supporting:The English Beat9 April 1983 - Finney Chapel, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
supporting:The English Beat10 April 1983 - Grand Circus Theater, Detroit, MI
supporting:The English Beat12 April 1983 - Alumnae Hall, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
supporting:The English Beat12 April 1983
event: Murmur released13 April 1983 - Kearney Auditorium, St. John Fisher University, Rochester, NY
supporting: The English Beat14 April 1983 - Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY
supporting: The English Beat16 April 1983 - Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
supporting: The English Beat17 April 1983 - Le Spectrum, Montreal, Canada
supporting: The English Beat18 April 1983 - Palestra, University Of Rochester, Rochester, NY
supporting: The English Beat
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Wolves, Lower / Talk About The Passion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
notes: This show can be found on the vinyl bootleg "L.I.V.E.", the first R.E.M. bootleg ever to be released. Previously thought to be 13 April19 April 1983 - Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
supporting: The English Beat20 April 1983 - Woolsey Hall, New Haven, CT
supporting: The English Beat22 April 1983 - Walter Brown Arena, Boston, MA
supporting: The English Beat
set included: Moral Kiosk / Radio Free Europe / Sitting Still / Pilgrimage23 April 1983 - Agora Ballroom, Hartford, CT
supporting:The English Beat24 April 1983 - Fountain Casino, Aberdeen, NJ
supporting:The English Beat26 April 1983 - Spize Club, Farmingdale, NY
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Sitting Still / Pilgrimage / Talk About The Passion / Shaking Through / Romance / Wolves, Lower / Harborcoat / Pretty Persuasion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / 1,000,000 / West Of The Fields / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
encore: White Tornado / Ages Of You / Seven Chinese Brothers / Radio Free Europe / Pills28 April 1983 - Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ
support: The Bongos
set included: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Sitting Still / Pilgrimage / Wolves, Lower / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / 1,000,000 / Radio Free Europe / Secret Agent Man29 April 1983 - The Living Room, Providence, RI
support: Arms Akimbo, Prisoners Of Beat30 April 1983 - The Ritz, New York, NY
support: The Individuals
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Sitting Still / Pilgrimage / Talk About The Passion / Laughing / Wolves, Lower / Seven Chinese Brothers / Romance / Just A Touch / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / 1,000,000 / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore: Perfect Circle / Ages Of You / There She Goes Again / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) / Does Your Mother Know? / Skank2 May 1983 - After Sundown, Blacksburg, VA
support: Not Shakespeare
notes: The make-up show for the cancelled 29 November 1982 show. Oh! OK! was also advertised as support but they did not play. The show was booked by WUVT, Virginia Tech's radio station. Living up to their promise, entry to the show was $2
Flyer3 May 1983 - The Pier, Raleigh, NC
set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Pilgrimage / Laughing / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Wolves, Lower / Romance / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Catapult / Moral Kiosk / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: White Tornado / Walk, Don't Run / Ages Of You / We Walk / 1,000,000
encore 2: Perfect Circle / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)4 May 1983 - PB's Scott Music Hall, Blowing Rock, NC
May 1983 - Love Auditorium, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
audience: 1,500May 1983 - Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA
May 1983 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
21 May 1983 - Navy Island, St. Paul, MN
support: The Suburbs, Let's Active
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Sitting Still / Pilgrimage / Talk About The Passion / Wolves, Lower / Seven Chinese Brothers / Romance / Harborcoat / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Just A Touch / 1,000,000 / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore: White Tornado / Ages Of You / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)21 May 1983 - St. Paul, MN
notes: After their Navy Island show, R.E.M. played in a bar in St. Paul, using another band's equipment22 May 1983 - The Palms, Milwaukee, WI
audience: 300
support: Let's Active
set included: Aquarius / Sitting Still / Perfect Circle / We Walk23 May 1983 - Headliners, Madison, WI
support: Let's Active
set included: So You Want To Be A Rock'n'Roll Star / Moon River / There She Goes Again / In The Year 2525 / We Walk25 May 1983 - Park West, Chicago, IL
support: Let's Active, The dB's
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Sitting Still / Shaking Through / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Laughing / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: White Tornado / Ages Of You / We Walk / 1,000,000
encore 2: In The Year 2525
notes: most likely the show finished with Carnival Of Sorts and possibly Skank, however this can't be confirmed as no more of the show was recorded26 May 1983 - Jake's, Bloomington, IN
support: Let's Active28 May 1983 - The Drumstick, Lincoln, NE
support: Playground
set included: The Lion Sleeps Tonight29 May 1983 - VFW Hall, Kansas City, MO
support: The Embarrassment, Let's Active
Poster30 May 1983 - Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, MO
support: Let's Active1 June 1983 - Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO
supporting: The English Beat, Bow Wow Wow
set: Radio Free Europe / Catapult / Pilgrimage / Talk About The Passion / Wolves, Lower / Sitting Still / Gardening At Night / 1,000,000 / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)4 June 1983 - Charlies, Dallas, TX
support: Let's Active
notes: “This was a pool hall and had NO advertising, NO flyers, NO tickets. Only word of mouth and I didn't even hear about it until a few days before the gig. Only about 25 or so there.” George Gimarc, author of Post Punk Diary5 June 1983 - The Night Life, Austin, TX
support: Let's Active, Vital Signs
notes: The flyer for this show claimed it was to be recorded for the 'King Biscuit Flower Hour', however as yet no recording has surfaced on the trading circuit6 June 1983 - Sheppard Air Force Base, Wichita Falls, TX
support: Let's Active
set included: Radio Free Europe / Route 66 / Secret Agent Man / (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone / Pills
notes: The band didn't go down well at the military base, with shouts of 'you're gonna die, faggots!' coming from the audience. Stipe and Buck then played this up by 'kissing and rubbing butts'. At this point, tired of not being able to dodge incoming missiles, Bill left the stage, and Sara Romweber from Let's Active took over. Peter claims 'At the end, they booed so loud we came back and did an encore!'7 June 1983 - Roxy, Lubbock, TX
support: Let's Active
set included: (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
notes: From an eyewitness who was at this show: "I saw Michael and Peter before the show talking to a punker with a shaved head.
Let's Active opened to about 30 souls and people kept asking Mitch the name of the band between songs. Seems no one could understand it!
So when REM started playing they played very fast and VERY loud and Michael danced like a dervish and it was marvelous. So this punker guy starts slam dancing and people who weren't into it sort of moved away but he bumped into this cowboy's girlfriend and the guy started to lay into our punk friend. Well Peter saw this from the stage, put down his guitar mid-song, and jumped off the stage into the crowd to break the fight and presumably prevent the diminutive punk from getting his ass kicked. He told the astonished cowboy "This is a friend of mine. If you want to fight, wait till after the show and I will fight you outside." The cowboy cooled off and Peter got back up on stage and finished the set.
I partied with them after the show and told Peter I thought that was a cool thing to do. He just said it was no big deal." - C. Holbert9 June 1983 - The Music Machine, Los Angeles, CA
set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Wolves, Lower / Harborcoat / Sitting Still / Catapult / Moral Kiosk / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore: White Tornado / I Can't Control Myself / I Can Only Give You Everything / Route 66 / California Dreamin'
notes: Joined by Peter Zaremba and Keith Streng of The Fleshtones, on vocals and harmonica for I Can't Control Myself, I Can Only Give You Everything and Route 6610 June 1983 - Spirit Club, San Diego, CA
support: Let's Active11 June 1983 - Palace Theater, Hollywood, CA
support: Let's Active13 June 1983 - Galactica 2000, Sacramento, CA
support: Let's Active14 June 1983 - Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA
support: The Renegades, Let's Active
soundcheck: I Walk The Line (snippet) / West Of The Fields / Seven Chinese Brothers
set: Sitting Still / Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Romance / Wolves, Lower / Harborcoat / Pretty Persuasion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: White Tornado / Ghostriders In The Sky / Ages Of You / We Walk / 1,000,000
encore 2: There She Goes Again / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)16 June 1983 - Six Flags Magic Mountain Club, Valencia, CA
support: Let's Active
set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Harborcoat / Wolves, Lower / Romance / Sitting Still / Moral Kiosk / Catapult / 1,000,000 / West Of The Fields / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)17 June 1983 - The Concert Factory, Costa Mesa, CA
18 June 1983 - 1901 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA
support: Mr Potatohead
notes: During the performance at the Old Waldorf Michael Stipe announced the details of this show to the crowd. No concert venue is known to have existed at this address, so it was probably a hastily arranged semi-private gig19 June 1983 - Los Angeles, CA
support: Let's Active20 June 1983 - Keystone, Berkeley, CA
support: Let's Active, Bad Atitude
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Wolves, Lower / Romance / Sitting Still / Pretty Persuasion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore: Shaking Through / 1,000,000 / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)21 June 1983 - The Keystone, Palo Alto, CA
support: The Lloyds, Agent22 June 1983 - The Stone, San Francisco, CA
support: The Lloyds, Victims Of Technology27 June 1983 - Rainbow Music Hall, Denver, CO
29 June 1983 - The 20's Nightclub, Omaha, NE
30 June 1983 - The Bluenote, Columbia, MO
support: The Bel-airs
set: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Romance / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Catapult / Pretty Persuasion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: Last Date / There She Goes Again / We Walk / Pills / 1,000,000
encore 2: Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)1 July 1983 - Six Flags Over Mid America, St. Louis, MO
set included: Sweet Jane2 July 1983 - The Chase, Indianapolis, IN
set included: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Sitting Still / Shaking Through3 July 1983 - Summerfest Rockstage, Milwaukee, WI
5 July 1983 - Pirate's Cove, Cleveland, OH
support: Hungry Young Men, The Replacements
set included: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Catapult8 July 1983 - Saint Andrew's Hall, Detriot, MI
set: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Sitting Still / Moon River / Harborcoat / Catapult / Pretty Persuasion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: Last Date / The Lion Sleeps Tonight / We Walk / 1,000,000
encore 2: In The Year 2525 / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) / Skank9 July 1983 - Larry's Hideaway, Toronto, Canada
set: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Moon River / There She Goes Again / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Catapult / Pretty Persuasion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore: We Walk / 1,000,000 / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: A very vocal crowd at this show makes this show memorable.
audience member: "Play something for Joe Santos!"
Stipe: "for Joe who?"
audience member: "Santos!"
Stipe: "ok, this song is for Joe Santos"
Laughing is played
Later the crowd shouts out for There She Goes Again until they finally give in and play the song (prefacing it with a great Moon River). By the time the encore starts Stipe gets totally fed up with people shouting out for songs:
audience: "shaking through!"
Stipe: "no no no no no no no!"
audience: "shaking through!!"
Stipe: "no no!"
audience: "shaking through!!!"
Stipe: *makes gagging sound*
We Walk is played
This show is available in full on the CD Bootleg "Rising", and incomplete on the bootleg "Mada Mada"13 July 1983 - Paradise Theater, Boston, MA
support: The Replacements
set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Moral Kiosk / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Wolves, Lower / Harborcoat / Sitting Still / Pretty Persuasion / Catapult / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: White Tornado / Ages Of You / We Walk / 1,000,000
encore 2: California Dreamin' / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: The band sing Happy Birthday to Bertis between 9-9 and Moral Kiosk. This show can be found on the vinyl bootleg "Return of the Rickenbackers"14 July 1983 - The Living Room, Providence, RI
support: Parallel 5th
notes: The Brown University radio station (WBRU) announced during the day that there was some new band coming to town, and if you said "Rumplestiltskin" at the door, you'd get in for $515 July 1983 - Fountain Casino, Aberdeen, NJ
support: The Replacements
set: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Catapult / That Beat / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: Moon River / There She Goes Again / White Tornado / California Dreamin' / Ages Of You
encore 2: We Walk / The Lion Sleeps Tonight / 1,000,000 / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)17 July 1983 - Toad's Place, New Haven, CT
support: The Replacements
set: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Romance / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Catapult / Pretty Persuasion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: White Tornado / Ages Of You / Time After Time (Annelise) / We Walk / 1,000,000
encore 2: Eight Miles High / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) / Skank
notes: Time After Time is played live for the very first time20 July 1983 - Ripley's, Philadelphia, PA
support: The Replacements
set: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Laughing / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Catapult / Pretty Persuasion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: White Tornado / Time After Time (Annelise) / We Walk / Eight Miles High / Roadrunner / 1,000,000
encore 2: Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) / Skank
notes: Another great show, the band in great form and sounding excited the tour is close to ending. Before they play their first song Stipe says "hi, we're Stevie Ray Vaughan and this is our set" and then after the song finishes says "we're not really Stevie Ray Vaughan, that was a bad joke".
Later after We Walk is played...
Stipe: "wait a minute, we're gonna have a vote, we have two choices here, you can either hear Roadrunner or Eight Miles High...ok...wait..."
audience shouts out their preferences, with Bill joining in shouting out Roadrunner...
Stipe: "we'll do both of 'em"
Eight Miles High and Roadrunner from this show are available on the CD bootleg "Covering Them" or "Covering 'Em"21 July 1983 - Much More Club, Broad Street, Richmond, VA
23 July 1983 - Baity's Backstreet Rock Garden, Winston-Salem, NC
support: Let's ActiveJuly 1983 - Outside 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
notes: Michael Stipe with 2 friends are "faking their way through Nino Rota-style Italian cafe music"12 August 1983 - Civic Center, Hartford, CT
audience: 16,000
supporting: The Police
set included: Talk About The Passion / Radio Free Europe13 August 1983 - Civic Center, Hartford, CT
audience: 16,000
supporting: The Police15 August 1983 - Scope Auditorium, Norfolk, VA
supporting: The Police18 August 1983 - Shea Stadium, Flushing, NY
audience: 67,000
supporting: Joan Jett, The Police
set: 1,000,000 / Catapult / Pilgrimage / Radio Free Europe / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)20 August 1983 - JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA
supporting: Madness, Joan Jett, The Police
set: Pilgrimage / Harborcoat / 1,000,000 / Radio Free Europe / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)21 August 1983 - Capital Centre, Landover, MD
audience: 18,000
supporting: The Police
set: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Pilgrimage / Talk About The Passion / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Catapult / Gardening At Night / Radio Free Europe / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)22 August 1983 - Capital Centre, Landover, MD
audience: 18,000
supporting: The Police26 August 1983 - Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta, GA
support: The Killer Whales29 August 1983
event: Murmur is released in the UK30 September 1983 - Stichcraft, Athens, GA
support: Community Trolls
set 1: I Got You Babe / Second Guessing / Harborcoat / Pretty Persuasion / Pills / 1,000,000 / Camera / Talk About The Passion / Little America / All The Right Friends / Letter Never Sent / Just A Touch / Secret Agent Man / Hootenanny / Route 66 / Windout / 9-9
community trolls set: Six Stock Answers / My Roof Your Roof / Pale Blue Eyes / Tainted Obligation / Sweet Jane
set 2: Folsom Prison Blues / Rave On / 20th Century Boy / Seven Chinese Brothers / Crazy / That Beat / (Don't Go Back To) Rockville / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: A very unusual show, it sounds like they had a few too many pre show cocktails before going out, in particular I Got You Babe, with Mills and Stipe butchering the song is hilarious, and Six Stock Answers sounds (in my humble opinion) absolutely awful, which makes this show a must have!
The Community Trolls is comprised of Stipe and Matthew Sweet
This show can be found on the CD bootlegs "20th Century Boys' Volume 1" and "20th Century Boys' Volume 2"3 October 1983 - Legion Field, Athens, GA
support: Oh Ok, Land Sharks
set: Moral Kiosk / Letter Never Sent / Camera / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Catapult / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / West Of The Fields / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: Wolves, Lower / Crazy / All The Right Friends / Little America / 1,000,000
encore 2: Shaking Through / Perfect Circle / Pretty Persuasion / 20th Century Boy / Pale Blue Eyes / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: Joined on stage by Matthew Sweet for "Pale Blue Eyes", Vanessa Briscoe for "Crazy" and Paul Edwards for "Perfect Circle". So. Central Rain is played live for the very first time4 October 1983 - University Of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
audience: 1,000
support: Let's Active6 October 1983 - Late Night With David Letterman, NBC Studios, New York, NY
set: Radio Free Europe / So. Central Rain
notes: First ever television appearance. Mike introduces So. Central Rain as "a song too new to be named"7 October 1983 - Ontario Theater, Washington DC
support: The Replacements, Let's Active
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Letter Never Sent / Camera / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Pretty Persuasion / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / West Of The Fields / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: Pale Blue Eyes / Wolves, Lower / Crazy / 1,000,000
encore 2: I Can't Control Myself / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)8 October 1983 - Irvine Auditorium, University of Penn., Philadelphia, PA
support: Pretty Poison, Let's Active
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / 20th Century Boy / Letter Never Sent / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Just A Touch / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / West Of The Fields / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: Wolves, Lower / Camera / We Walk / There She Goes Again / 1,000,000
encore 2: Crazy / Little America / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)9 October 1983 - Busch Student Center, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ
support: Let's Active
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Letter Never Sent / Shaking Through / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Harborcoat / Sitting Still / Just A Touch / Pretty Persuasion / West Of The Fields / Second Guessing / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Pale Blue Eyes / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: Camera / We Walk / Little America / 1,000,000
encore 2: Wolves, Lower / 20th Century Boy / Pills / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)10 October 1983 - The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
support: Let's Active11 October 1983 - New York, NY
support: Let's Active12 October 1983 - The Skyway, Scotia, NY
support: Let's Active
set included: Don't Fear The Reaper13 October 1983 - The Living Room, Providence, RI
support: Let's Active14 October 1983 - Memorial Gymnasium, University of Maine, Orono, ME
support: Let's Active, B. Willie Smith15 October 1983 - Colby Hall, Waterville, ME
support: Let's Active
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Letter Never Sent / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Siting Still / Harborcoat / Pretty Persuasion / West Of The Fields / Just A Touch / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Second Guessing / Wolves, Lower
encore: White Tornado / 1,000,000 / Camera / Pale Blue Eyes / Radio Free Europe
notes: The following recount of this show by Robert Wiggin throws this setlist up in the air:
"My firends and i got put on the guest list for the show at Colby by the road crew cause they had worked helping them set up at the University of Maine the night before, and kinda hinted that they'd help out afterward the next night too. ;) The show at Colby began with Michael wearing a huge patch of gauze over his left eye, as he had somehow gotten injured after the previous night's show, i believe at some after show party. I believe he made mention that he had scratched his cornea.
Anyway, the crowd was much smaller than the night before, maybe 300 people at most, and not completely receptive to their music. There was one particular obnoxious drunk kid down front with a bottle of jack daniels, constantly yelling for them to "play some rock and rooooll", generally heckling and being disruptive. Mike Mills gestured for him to approach the stage, i guess asked the guy for his bottle, and took a huge pull from it. There were some conferences around the drum riser, and a song or two later, Michael took a running start from the back of the stage, and launched himself into the sparse crowd gathered down front. You know, being real rock and roll. They of course instantly parted, and Michael slammed into the floor hard, was probably a bit dazed, and i think was helped back up, and then backstage by some of the roadies.
At this point, the band just said screw it, and left the stage. Peter was down back to the left of the stage right afterward, looking for the drunk guy, and i heard him say, 'you just don't do that where we come from'.
I know they didn't do a full set, let alone come back on stage for encores."17 October 1983 - Drumlin's, Syracuse, NY
support: Let's Active
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Letter Never Sent / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Pretty Persuasion / West Of The Fields / Just A Touch / Gardening At Night / Windout / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe
encore: White Tornado / Wolves, Lower / Camera / Pale Blue Eyes / 20th Century Boy / 1,000,000 / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: The gig took place, literally, in the basement hall of a country club. There were maybe a hundred people ([possibly more, but it was definitely a small crowd) gathered in front of the stage when Let's Active kicked off a great opening set. R.E.M hit the stage quite late, with Stipe again wearing the eye patch he had on the previous night, explaining and complaining that hospital personnel balked at giving him some medication for his injury because his appearance led them to conclude that he might abuse it. His hair was quite long and he was in camouflage jacket.
The show got under way, and by mid-point, the band was absolutely on fire. The audience gathered in a tight scrum in front of the stage and moved and rocked and swayed and pogoed as one! I remember Stipe leaning into the crowd wailing away on one tune.
After the show, I was standing in line for the rest room behind Peter Buck and remember telling him "That was the finest example of rock and roll as physical pleasure that I have ever experienced."
I still remember the show as absolutely powerful and astounding and beautiful. - Daniel Murray20 October 1983 - Metro, Boston, MA
support: Let's Active21 Ocotber 1983 - Student Union, Queens College, Queens, NY
support: The Neats
set: Wolves, Lower / Moral Kiosk / Letter Never Sent / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Catapult / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Second Guessing / 1,000,000 / Camera / Pale Blue Eyes / Lies / Little America / Radio Free Europe / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: Eric Martin of The Neats guests on Lies, which is a Neats song from their "The Monkey's Head in the Corner of the Room" mini album from 1982.
The venue was originally listed as Colden Auditorium, however they actually played on the 4th floor of the Student Union, which is a 150-200 person capacity room used for events and local bands to play.
'Let's Active was originally billed as opening for REM but something happened and the Neats ended up playing. My pal who worked on the radio station was friends with Lets Active and was hoping to catch a ride with them (& REM) back into the city that night as they were going to attend another gig. Needless to say with no Lets Active..there was no ride. But he did get a chance to hang out with Mike Mills and Peter Buck beforehand and show them to local shopping strip a few blocks away. Once there, Mike ended up going to a crappy discount store and picked up a pair of new sneakers for $2 or something!' - Jeff Cuyubamba22 October 1983 - Connecticut College, New London, CT
support: Let's Active30 October 1983 - The Cutting Edge (TV), New York, NY
30 October 1983 - "Livewire", Nickelodeon TV, New York, NY
notes: R.E.M. perform So. Central Rain and Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars), and answer questions from the teenage audience31 October 1983 - Peppermint Lounge, New York, NY
supporting: The Fuzztones, The Cramps
set: 20th Century Boy / I Can't Control Myself / Crazy / Pale Blue Eyes / So You Want To Be A Rock and Roll Star / Femme Fatale / Secret Agent Man / Burning Hell / Pills / D.O.A. / I Can Only Give You Everything
notes: Playing under the name "It Crawled From The South"9 November 1983 - Elliot Mazer Demos - Rhythmic Studios, San Francisco, CA
tracks recorded: That Beat / Walter's Theme / Walter BBQ Ad / Cushy Tush / Burning Down / All The Right Friends / Windout / Femme Fatale / Burning Hell / The Lion Sleeps Tonight / Skank / All The Right Friends / So. Central Rain / Letter Never Sent / Little America / Camera / Second Guessing / Harborcoat / Seven Chinese Brothers / Just A Touch / Pretty Persuasion / Pale Blue Eyes / Time After Time (Annelise) / Ages Of You10 November 1983 - Kabuki Theater, San Francisco, CA
support: The Neats, Let's Active
set: Walter's Theme-Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Burning Down / Letter Never Sent / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Harborcoat / Sitting Still / Pretty Persuasion / Just A Touch / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe
encore: Wolves, Lower / Sweet Jane / Femme Fatale / Camera / Lies / 1,000,000 / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: Andy Gill and John King from Gang of Four joined the band for Sweet Jane. Eric Martin from the Neats sings lead on Lies, a Neats song.11 November 1983 - Beverly Theater, Los Angeles, CA
support: The Neats, Let's Active
set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Burning Down / Talk About The Passion / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / So. Central Rain / Wolves, Lower / Harborcoat / Sitting Still / Pretty Persuasion / Catapult / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: Moral Kiosk / Camera / Pale Blue Eyes / We Walk / 1,000,000
encore 2: 20th Century Boy / Crazy / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) / Skank12 November 1983 - Montezuma Hall, SDSU Campus, San Diego, CA
support: Let's Active
set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Letter Never Sent / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Wolves, Lower / Pretty Persuasion / Catapult / Just A Touch / West Of The Fields / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe
encore 1: Barney Miller Theme / Moral Kiosk / Camera / We Walk / Little America / 1,000,000
encore 2: 20th Century Boy / Femme Fatale / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)18 November 1983 - "The Tube", Channel 4 TV, Newcastle, England
set: Radio Free Europe / So. Central Rain / Talk About The Passion
notes: First ever UK television appearance19 November 1983 - Dingwall's, London, England
support: Recognition
set included: Laughing / Pilgrimage / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Radio Free Europe22 November 1983 - The Marquee, London, England
support: Jerry Floyd
set: Moral Kiosk / Catapult / Letter Never Sent / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Just A Touch / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Windout / Second Guessing / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
encore 1: Wolves, Lower / Camera / 1,000,000
encore 2: Chicken Train / Barney Miller Theme / Femme Fatale / Radio Free Europe
notes: Stipe begins the show by saying "We're R.E.M., actually we're not, they couldn't make it so we're here in their place, playing all the hits of the day"23 November 1983 - The Paradiso, Amsterdam, Holland
24 November 1983 - Les Baines Douches, Paris, France
set: Letter Never Sent / Femme Fatale / Pilgrimage / So. Central Rain / Harborcoat / Sitting Still / Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Radio Free Europe / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars)
notes: Not the complete set, just what was broadcast on French radio25 November 1983 - Exo-7, Rouen, France
set: Gardening At Night / 9-9 / Catapult / Letter Never Sent / Pilgrimage / Seven Chinese Brothers / Talk About The Passion / So. Central Rain / Sitting Still / Harborcoat / Moral Kiosk / Little America / Second Guessing / Radio Free Europe
encore: Pale Blue Eyes / Camera / 1,000,000 / Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcars) / Wolves, Lower28 November 1983 - St. Petersburg, FL
2 December 1983 - UPS Club, Greenville, SC
11 December 1983 - Friday's, Greensboro, NC
support: UV Prom
notes: Final ever show at Friday's before it was turned into a Subway fast food outlet. UV Prom featured Joe Romweber, brother of Dexter Romweber (Flat Duo Jets) and Sarah Romweber (Let's Active)8-10,12-15 December 1983 - Studio A, Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, NC
tracks recorded: Reckoning tracks, plus Ages Of You, Burning Down, Windout (2 takes), White Tornado, Gardening At Night (acoustic), Just A Touch, Mystery To Me, Voice of Harold, Pale Blue Eyes, Femme Fatale, King of the Road/Walter's Theme, Burning Hell (instrumental)
notes: Recording sessions for Reckoning start, with producers Mitch Easter and Don Dixon
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