R.E.M. on Letterman - Bad Day

[PopeWithDaScope]

@philchelt Me neither, I'm just a big REM fan!

[PopeWithDaScope]

@philchelt Yeah but Radio Free Europe was the first televised performance they ever did, and it was on Letterman.

[ralvarezguitar]

I've always found REM and The Cure to be 2 of the top most original bands ever

[PopeWithDaScope]

I'm having Radio Free Europe début flashbacks.

[ravaefava1]

Stipe seems so angry here!

[dhide14]

@ravaefava1 he's having a Bad Day duh

[moralas1]

אחד האהובים עלי... חבל שהתפרקו אולי בקאם בק  אזכה לראות אותם!!!

[jinxremovingxo]

rickenbacker 330... bone stock... also fender telecasters...

[andeegreen]

Kinda feels a bit like when Kurt or Freddie died, you know, that we'll never hear them again & that we all take comfort in listening to them...

[eduardohuertavasquez]

I already miss them :(

[Jonsofteaux]

3:38 When I get really drunk I am using his very camp dancing skills to "pull" girls in honour of REM's split! :P

[buzzcity01]

WOW!! , been watching REM videos all evening and that really is one of the best. Compare that to their very first performance on Letterman many years ago (1983 i think) unbelievable differences but amazing then and amazing still

[remnrone]

look at that stance... Like being back in '83 :P

[sibrent1]

@remnrone - and?

[remnrone]

@sibrent1 and, i like it :)

[pulpstress]

@remnrone Except now, Michael totally mugs for the camera and every opportunity.

Ego has split many a band.. I fear R.E.M. may have become one of the many.

[JayBee272]

wats with his makeup O.o

[metallicatt316]

Needs more close ups of the sexy Peter Buck.

[nebchic]

@metallicatt316

Cant argue with that!! lol!!

[Hannahorse715]

mikes glasses are so sexy what kind are they I would like some like those

[JacobMorrisNinetyTwo]

I love how Michael Stipe is playing is harmonica in such a way that you almost don't realise it's there. He's such a brilliant performer.

[jasonyother]

One of the best songs by one of the greatbands

[tbaier101]

Best song they've done since '86. Oh wait, they wrote this one in '86. Great version tho.

[yellaway]

Mike Mills is amazing, as always.  And he's so high-energy here!

[goodriddance86]

Michael is going crazy ;) love it!!!

[sonic777111]

What's with the blue-ness around Stipe's eyes?

[Jojos25]

michael stipe is a bit poser here. i don't like the performance

[spidermanfan5]

I Love R.E.M. I have Seen Them Live and they were Brilliant!!!!!!! and i want to go and see them again!!!!!! and My favourite Song aswell!!!

[missyA1958]

Amazing Performance! R.E.M.  One of The Very Best Ever!

[anibalnikov47]

amazing song, i didn't like the harmonica thing, but stills amazing ! love rem

[jonmarr01]

12 people are having a bad day.

[ogrepore]

One of the greatest bands of all

[RealTime88]

@ogrepore I totally agree. It gets to your heart!! You get what they are saying. Whether it is joyful, sad, or looking back on the past. R.E.M. is one of the greatest bands!!!! Please tour soon guys!!!

[joselement8]

THIS is the real music

[jeepdad56]

what model guitar does P Buck play? thanks

[wazzumichael]

@jeepdad56 He usually plays Rickenbacker guitars, particularly a black model 360

[BucksStudent]

@wazzumichael He alternates between his old 360 and a '86 or '87 Gibson Les Paul he bought when they recorded Document. He used the LP for the most of Green, Monster, and some of New Adventures.

[ROSECROIX21]

WOW! R.E.M! 最高！

[catchersmitt0]

why is his head blue?

[6400az]

@catchersmitt0

It may be an attempt to redirect the viewers attention away from his chromdomus !!

[UberFeld]

@catchersmitt0

The unibrow Stipe wears is a way of paying tribute to the original drummer.

[kgillum]

@UberFeld I saw an interview with Stipe where he said he did it because after he lost all his hair he needed something to call attention to his face on stage. It was an interview during some concert they did in Europe somewhere (don't remember where). On Palladium channel.

[elevatory1]

@catchersmitt0 porque es su estilo para tocar en vivo, quiere hacer la diferencia

[cesarr956]

12 people suck...hard

[catchersmitt0]

@cesarr956 are you one of them, or is that a meaningless comment about no one in particular but intend to "defend" this video?

[dillzer12]

I live Rock, Heavy Rock, Metal, Heavy Metal and Punk but R.E.M is a whole different thing :D

[SuperFatmac]

Peformed to Perfectiom.

[lotf001]

Great song! 

[DnylF1]

"back in 2003" ooh it sounds like you think that was a long time ago! :)

Simply awesome performance, but on my computer it's very low volume. :(

[whb1965]

SOMETHING IN THE WATER IN ATHENS GA. OUT OF THERE CAME R.E.M., WIDESPREAD PANIC, THE B52S, LOVE TRACTOR, AND MORE.. DAMN.

[FookinLiam]

great performance, brilliant band

[motownmaniax]

I remember buying Murmur when it first came out all those years ago based on a review I read in some magazine. Been a devoted fan ever since. To me they sound as good as ever. Timeless is thrown around way too much in rock, but they're the real deal and always will be.

[JakCanning]

Like this version - sounds a little edgier than the video version...

[vicburns1]

masters of their game

[sweetfly66]

Michael Stipe has not lost a beat man .... he sings better than ever ... the band as well . Although I do miss Bill Berry on drums . I really feel like Bill was a huge part of REM , and I miss him a lot .

[TheLeftyGrove]

A perfect song to describe the Dubyaism (i.e. dumbing-down) of America. Bush and Cheney fucked the company while Americans waved their flags and bashed Muslims.

When R.E.M. goes political, it's a perfectly withering attack. They are the absolute best.

[sorcerer1975]

one of my all time favs my r.e.m. !

[juanpolar]

kick ass performance

[ragnatoad]

"Sure all men are created equal. Here's the church. Here's the steeple."

I interpret this as criticism on gays not being able to marry. Anyone else?

[epsteinsmutha1]

@ragnatoad Interpreting Mumbles' lyrics is an exercise in pointlessness. Brilliant possibility, sure, but considering this and "It's the End of the World As We Know It" both started out as "P.S.A." the lyrics might as well be "Mount Sinai Leonard Bernstein Leonid Brezhnev Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs birthday party cheesecake jellybean BOOM!"

Right? Right.

[coffeethrall]

@ragnatoad That's exactly how I've always interpreted that line, as well.

[HowDoTube]

Count ya blessin....

[lemurlover62]

wow must take REM like an hour to record a whole album there so good live

[staurosdriver8]

what a great band......perfect timing,voice,bass.......

[fairandpale]

Great Band! Great Performance! Michael and Peter are amazing. But I love you Mike!

[volksrepair]

There was a time Letterman gave a shit about the bands.... WAY back when.

REM = AWESOME BAND! thx for posting!

[khwalt2]

Go Ken!!

[cwestsupporter]

what was with stipe and his blue man phase around this time...anyone know the symbolism behind it?

[derekxnl]

They always sound amazing live, maybe even better than in the studio. Just goes to show you just how talented they are.

[lil2tom7]

Hmm could some one tell me why the lead singer has that blue face paint stuff across his eyes ?

[TheKebmeister]

@lil2tom7 Hi. Not tryin' to be a mister smart a#@, but he wears makeup because he can. Who else could play one of the worst harmonica solos of all time and have people posting about how awesome the live performance is. He is Michael Stipe. An absolute icon.

[lil2tom7]

@TheKebmeister Ermm ok then but i was just saying why he has blue face paint over his face thats all, so dont bother starting an argument that dont need to be started ok.

[TheKebmeister]

@lil2tom7 You are an asshole.

[lil2tom7]

@TheKebmeister I take it you want to argue with me then ? dude your 45 (thats what your channel sais anyway) and your calling me an asshole for no reason all because i said why does he were blue face paint your fucking pathetic get a life rather than trying to cause arguments over the internet.

[TheKebmeister]

@lil2tom7 ...and you are apparently in 3rd grade. Says, not sais. You're is a contraction for you are, so it is not "your calling me..." it should be "you're calling me...". One does not were makeup, one does wear makeup. If you are going to start a battle of wits, you should come armed.

[lil2tom7]

@TheKebmeister 3rd grade ? im english and why would i argue with a low life as yourself, its just wasting my time and you still havent answerd my first question about why he wears blue face paint, ohh yeh thats because you for some reason called me an asshole.

[rem857]

@lil2tom7 I have a real answer for you man. OK, during the Green World Tour, Michael had a bout with some really bad food in england. He was so sick, that at one point he siad "I feel Like A Dog" so what he did was, he took a felt tip marker and wrote that on his head. The lights were so hot though, that he sweated it off, giving him the appearnace of wearing makeup. So for the rest of the tour, he adopted wearing face paint and has worn it ever since.

[lil2tom7]

@rem857 Thank you atleast someone can give me the answer, cheers man.

[thewinebottle]

LOL at that armonica!! XD

[adamblanga]

one of their best

[UmbrellaAl]

I was a bit disappointed by the album version of this song. I had a bootleg of an early recording of it, when it came out on CD it didn't strike me the same... This performance reminds me a lot of the older version i heard first. Love it!

[asktunes]

This is perfect on so many levels...

[james06241974]

Mike Mills- awesome vocal harmonization w/Stipe? I mean since the very (Murmur) start.

[guitarshred56]

Powerful performance. R.e.m. Rock.

[Auron2030]

Peter Buck-ing great.

[themooddisorders]

muffled a bit, need a better mix

[MTroup]

Or, you can enjoy what someone else has given you.

[themooddisorders]

@MTroup

I own the record!  I love this song!

[Dakrocker]

love the band, cant play harmonica :)

[Gypscrew]

DAMN! there are only a few bands that keep up with their Vocals in a live performance and the few that I know is....REM, Alice in Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots, I'm sure there is more but a lot of "good" bands really suck live.

[Jammerkevin]

I agree.......

[mkellers]

Damn, that was one hell of a live performance!

and for some reason Michael Stipe reminds me of Kevin spacey..... don't know why :P

[Loemaster1980]

probably on of the world's best live-bands!

but their studio tracks are great, too!

he's a very good singer!

[pdj8484]

What a tremendous song and a stunning performance

[musicisfusionable]

Rockin' tune...big difference from when they first played South Central Rain on Letterman...very pro at this point.

[judukarat]

i like this song!! bad day ....

[SmashlytheBassGod]

Mike Mills is a great bassist...

[achildwithoutaneye]

this is a good live version. letterman always seems to have good sound.

[gracedisgraceful]

i super love this rem and this song. i love you michael!

[themooddisorders]

I love REM, but most songs make me want to commit suicide in the name of misunderstood youth!

[interpol8694]

Fucking Michael Stipe,the man!

[Scionification]

This is a great performance. A power band for the ages.

[traitor0837]

Peter Buck and Mike Mills are the guitarist.. Not sure which one your looking for.

[IdleOz]

he's talking about the guy behind peter

[vladimersh]

maybe Peter Hoseapple

[mrfiggins]

Peter Holsapple would be my guess. He's been with them for 25 years now...

[MatzeHellwig]

sorry...but Mike Mills is the bassist of the band =) not a guitarist

[nick1137]

whos the other guitarist

[wazzumichael]

His name is Scott McCaughey.... He's been playing on stage and in the studio with R.E.M. since 1994

[Vmaster456]

@wazzumichael He looks like Sammy Hagar. I thought it was him until I saw your comment.

[GreenDayPolice]

buck's got a nice rickenbacker

[maxti6]

buck's always had nice ric's!!

[remnrone]

he only ever had two. one six-string and one twelve-string. He had a replacement for the six-string when it was stolen, but beyond that, he never had any others

[cdadave83814]

Powerful song...

[jeepdad56]

Stipe in a sweatshirt ! Fashion statement!

[ricflairfan5]

mike mills is the heart and soul of rem he keeps them together musically he needs to do more than backing vocals he sings the song texarkana by rem

[jazzmanEE]

he sings superman as well...

[BromineZinc]

Wow, great performance. Love Mike Mills' power stance.

[KakkoiiNY]

great energy. But what is that duck dance Michael's doing at 3:47??!

[ixchel777]

He is beeing hiself ;)

[gcarolino]

man he still has it.....

[nave890]

damn, this is awesome!!!!

[cardenasr]

Come to Peru again. REM is such a great influence and trascends music.

[lovez2eat]

They're just awsome.

[oldhatrs25]

This song carried me through the Bush era.

[Hamburgers585]

they're helping me get through the obama era

[mentalrock]

same here lol

[hayseed6969]

@oldhatrs25 your'e a fuckin dummy what has nigbama done for you?????? come on liberal

[ss9pew]

@oldhatrs25

Calvin Klein's Pretention. Pour homme.

[eastcoastamish]

Wow John Malkovich is a good singer. seriously though R.E.M. is awesome

[Mugsycache14567]

That's funny, he had a hand in producing 'Being John Malkovich'. Seriously.

[BiscuitsJoe]

2:43 Michael Stipe's harmonica face= priceless

[JakeDonaghue]

cool!!

[vaps29gr]

perfect perfect perfect song !!!!!!!!

[biglice33]

My favorite band !

Ahahah great !

[brenics77]

who cares!!!!!!!!!!!! the guy is singing live on a massive show! note perfect ten out of ten, %100, % "the lights went out the oil ran dry, blame it on the other guy!" come one guys/gals just enjoy! perfect

[philagar]

i have had Privilege of seeing rem a few times in

my life and they are more punk than any of the said cunt

bands that have come out in the last 10 years

rem are gods

[alexcurd]

REM is just a miracle! a band that will reinvent itself and keep going... I saw them back in 1988 and they rocked as much then as they do now

[mcharnitski]

I agree - regardless of categorization - they're absolutely amazing. Though, "cunt bands" that have come out? Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground were back in the 70's. They worked with Andy Warhol and Nico - hell, they even worked with Morrison. It was part of that fast burning Heroine Rock that seemed to snuff out that era of larger than life Rock Gods. Same with Iggy. They're all amazing in their own right. Some slightly more or less than others - but all amazing

[Agravain3]

is REM considered punk? i think not

[Rocknrollradio92]

We're talking about eras. not genres. and punk just happened to come up.

[mcharnitski]

Punk, maybe not - but they're the Godfathers of alternative rock hands down

[colt45zzx]

velvet underground are the godfathers of alternative

[Rocknrollradio92]

Meh, more punk i'd say.

[jo7dan118]

iggy pop 4 sure

[BiscuitsJoe]

velvets are more like the godfathers of indie and art rock

[Alice45Rodriguez]

Check this out, slim.

Old Whiz needs a new coach.

[vaps29gr]

amazing song

[c2730461]

I am the fan of R.E.M !!!

[vargskin666]

Fuckin awesome!!!

[MrTAngel]

I have no words!!!!!!!!GREAAAAAAAT

[GamerUnleashed]

rofl he said R.E.M I say REM XD

[ChocolatePope17]

That's the band name. Verbatim.

[crk140]

sure don't make music like that anymore. great song. makes me long for the 90's so much good music.

[liamstedavid]

first time iv ever heard anyone say that about the 90's in general.

seriously it sucked

[crk140]

sucked compared to what? the 70's, the hair bands of the 80's, the garbage that they play on the radio that somehow passes for music.

for the most part the only bands making good music today are bands from the 90's. pearl jam, radiohead, green day, rem just to name a few. how old are you by the way?

[theeponym]

R.E.M. is from the '80s. And just barely. They're almost a '70s band.

But you'd have to be an idiot to say the '90s were a rotten decade for music.

[stevets01]

I wouldn't call them a 70s band because in 1979 they played at a friends birthday party. The official youtube channel says they formed in April 1980.

Anyway, I like the 90s because of Pearl Jam, Nirvana and the releases R.E.M. did in 91, 92 and 94.

[ukswoosh]

REM is not a 70s band. LoL

[theeponym]

Pay attention people.

Nobody called them a '70s bad.

[Rocknrollradio92]

Sublime, Rancid, Blink-182, Green Day, Bouncing Souls, Reel Big Fish, and many more are great 90's bands. The 80's sucked and the 70's half sucked. The 60's were great though.

[PadraikKasier]

Well, plenty of good stuff was in the Eighties: Michael Jackson, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth, Styx (through the late 70s), and Metallica. Heck, U2 and REM became acclaimed in the 80s.

So, there. But the 70s were a terrible rock climate, due to the great evil known as DISCO!!!

[Rocknrollradio92]

No fence dude Styx is awful.

[PadraikKasier]

Okay, but my point stands.

[Rocknrollradio92]

Yeah but the 80s was just full of pop crap and shitty hair metal bands.

[theeponym]

Anybody who says the '70s were terrible for rock basically has no clue what they're talking about.

And the bands that they presently love would all laugh at said person, call them an idiot, and then proceed to list off numerous influences from that period that they greatly respect (Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin just to name a couple).

[ultimatesanction]

Maiden rule!

[gazzie92]

Maybe the '80s was terrible for mainstream rock, but if you're into punk the '80s was extremely important. All of the D.C., NY, and LA hardcore bands like Minor Threat, Gorilla Biscuits, Fugazi, the Dead Kennedys, and Black Flag ( to name just a few) were so influential to the genre and they are influencing modern acts too (not the best example, but Fall Out Boy says they were really into the Gorilla Biscuits).

[Rocknrollradio92]

I like 90's punk more. Rancid, Green Day, Offspring, Blink-182. Like pop punk.

[ynks07]

Im generally a peace lovin cat and I really do respect the opinions of others far more often than not, but if thats tru ... you should probably jus kill yourself now.

[rem857]

Ran dry we blamed it on the other guy. Sure all men are created equil heres the church heres the steeple please stay tunes we cut to sequil ashes ashes we all fall down. Braodcast me a joyful noise until the time is Lord. Count your blessings ignore the lower fear . Oh this means war its been a bad day... I'm sure you can figure out the rest. Hope this all gets posted.

[fabian23rock]

2:44 haha, he didn't care about the notes, anyway amazing live performance.

[zeleniguster]

perfect!!