R.E.M.

May 23rd-June 1st Tickets  $24-$125 Openers  Modest Mouse, the National

Photo:Getty

R.E.M.'s bassist, Mike Mills, says that their first tour in three years will focus on their rocking new album, Accelerate ? they'll play most of the disc every night. "As soon as they were written, we knew those songs would be fun to play live," says Mills, who is still in love with gigging 28 years after starting the band in Athens, Georgia. "We wouldn't be doing it if we weren't psyched. The work is too hard to do if you're not loving it."

What have you noticed about crowds at recent R.E.M. shows?
They skewed older for a while. Now they're skewing younger again, which is very exciting.

This summer, will you bring back songs that have been retired?
We probably will. I'm looking through the catalog for songs we've never played or haven't played in a long time.

Can you name a song you'll bring back?
No, because if I say something now, someone in the band will say, "No, I don't wanna play that" [laughs]. Everyone has veto power.

How much do you rehearse for a tour?
Well, you wanna rehearse enough to be comfortable with the songs, but not so much that you get bored of them. It's a fine line.

What's on R.E.M.'s rider?
Fruit, cheese, red wine and lint-free towels. You can't go out there with lint in your hair. You'll look stupid.

Do you have a favorite story from touring in the Eighties?
Well, we shared a trailer with Ratt at a festival in Calaveras County [California] in '84.

Weird. Did you talk to Ratt?
No, but we listened to them get "up" for the show. That's all I'm saying.

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