Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy are on their third R.E.M. tribute tour, which this time out celebrates the 40th anniversary of Lifes Rich Pageant. That outing hit Brooklyn Steel on Saturday night (3/7), and like they did right around this time last year, when they were celebrating Fables of the Reconstruction, they had a very special guest on hand: R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe. He joined them for two songs, “These Days” (the second performance of the song that night) and “The Great Beyond,” and said it was “fucking surreal” to hear the Lifes Rich Pageant songs being performed. Watch video of both of those below.
Before Stipe came out, Shannon, Narducy, and their band, which included Jon Wurster (drums), John Stirratt (bass), Dag Juhlin (guitar), and Vijay Tellis-Nayak (keyboards), played Lifes Rich Pageant in track order, then moving on to other songs from throughout R.E.M.’s discography. Before playing “Fireplace,” Shannon asked the crowd if they’d like them to do Document next year, and said they’d give them a sneak preview. Lance Bangs was also on hand to film the proceedings; hopefully his footage will be released somehow? Stay tuned.
Bobcat Goldthwait opened the night with a short standup set (that included Narducy joining him on a Pearl Jam-style cover of Village People’s “YMCA”), and he was followed by Eugene Mirman. Check out pictures from the whole night by Edwina Hay below.
Last year’s R.E.M. tribute tour also got a full R.E.M. reunion on “Pretty Presuasion” in Athens.
SETLIST: MICHAEL SHANNON & JASON NARDUCY @ BROOKLYN STEEL, 3/7/2026 Begin the Begin These Days Fall on Me Cuyahoga Hyena Underneath the Bunker The Flowers of Guatemala I Believe What If We Give It Away? Just a Touch Swan Swan H Superman Lotus Gardening at Night Fretless Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars) How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us Burning Down Fireplace E-Bow the Letter Crush With Eyeliner The Lifting You Are the Everything These Days (with Michael Stipe) The Great Beyond (with Michael Stipe) Encore: Pilgrimage Me in Honey Try Not to Breathe Sitting Still Radio Free Europe Star 69