R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe has mostly avoided the spotlight in recent years, but Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has temporarily changed that. On Thursday night (October 10th), he performed at his second rally in as many weeks, this time at R.E.M.’s former home base of Athens, Georgia.
During his four-song set, Stipe was backed by Now It’s Overhead’s Andy LeMaster and Mercyland’s David Barbe. After kicking it off by performing R.E.M.’s 1985 song “Wendell Gee” for the first time in 39 years, Stipe played his solo track “Your Capricious Soul,” his Big Red Machine collaboration “No Time for Love Like Now,” and revisited “Driver 8.”
Watch Stipe’s performances of “Wendell Gee” and “Driver 8” below.
Last Friday, Stipe teamed up with Jason Isbell at a rally in Pittsburgh, during which he broke out “Driver 8” for the first time since 2008. During the brief set, Stipe also played R.E.M.’s “The One I Love.”
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Stipe and Isbell are among a long list of celebrities who have backed the Harris-Walz ticket, including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Billie Eilish, Hayley Williams, Bon Iver, P!NK, Stevie Wonder, Alanis Morissette, and Megan Thee Stallion.
