R.E.M.'s 'Fables of the Reconstruction' to be performed live by Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy
Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy and friends play R.E.M.’s 'Fables of the Reconstruction' and more
UK tour dates through August
Tickets on sale Fri 31st Jan
Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy | Photo credit: Christy Bush
Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy And Friends announce a 2025 UK tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s iconic 1985 album, Fables of the Reconstruction. After the pair’s acclaimed, sold out run honouring R.E.M.’s famed debut album Murmur, which saw the four original members of R.E.M. come together for the first time in 17 years at the tour’s Athens stop in the US, the Fables tour will bring Shannon & Narducy together again for a run of very special live performances in the UK.
Kicking off Tuesday, August 19th at Gorilla in Manchester, the tour will see Shannon & Narducy—alongside Jon Wurster (drums), Nick Macri (bass), Dag Juhlin (guitar), and Vijay Tellis-Nayak (keyboards)—playing Fables of the Reconstruction in full each night in addition to many other R.E.M. songs. The tour also sees two nights at The Garage in north London, a short journey from the city's Livingston Studios where Fables was originally recorded with producer Joe Boyd.
Tickets go on general sale on Friday 31st January at 10am GMT, and are available here. Full UK tour dates are listed below.
Aug 19 - Gorilla, Manchester, UK
Aug 20 - The Garage, Glasgow, UK
Aug 22 - The Garage, London, UK
Aug 23 - The Garage, London, UK
Aug 25 - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK
Aug 26 - Thekla, Bristol, UK
Watch Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy perform R.E.M.'s 'Driver 8' on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon below.
Shannon, an actor/musician known best for his film/series/stage work (for which he is twice Oscar-nominated), and Narducy (Bob Mould Band, Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate, Verböten, Split Single) have been collaborating for the last eleven years, playing entire albums by some of their favourite artists such as Neil Young, The Modern Lovers, Bob Dylan, The Smiths, and T. Rex at various Chicago clubs. In July 2023, they performed Murmur at Chicago’s Metro to a full house, with a guest appearance from R.E.M.’s own Mike Mills. Initially planned as a one-off performance to honour both the album and venue’s 40th anniversary, the show’s success inspired Shannon and Narducy to take the project on the road.
“I had never done a tour before. Jason nudged me after the Murmur set in Chicago at Metro. Now it’s all I want to do,” Shannon says. “I’m happy this one is twice as long. The last one was too short. This music is beyond comprehension and I cherish every chance I get to deliver it, even second generation. R.E.M. means the world to me. And this band led by Jason is stone cold ridiculous. Even if I never walked onstage, you would get a hell of a show.”
Narducy adds: “After Michael and I took the band on the road playing Murmur, we discussed possibly trying something again in 2025. It will be the 40th anniversary of Fables Of The Reconstruction so we will open with that album, in sequence. Then we will dig deep into the R.E.M. catalogue to round out the performance. Each show will have unique setlists. We love celebrating the music of this great band.”
