ONCE UPON TIME

33 Years Ago Today: R.E.M. at Shea Stadium
One of the most iconic shots ever of a young R.E.M. was taken 33 years ago on August 18, 1983. Here’s the story behind the photograph, as told by the photographer Michael Plen, our dear old friend and the guy who got R.E.M. on the radio in those early IRS days:? ?“My mom had just returned from Japan with a super cool lens that didn’t distort. I took it that next night to Shea. I was working with IRS Records & The Police camp, so they graciously let me shoot with the look out to the fans. R.E.M. were always moving. Michael’s stillness and gesturing, Bill’s whiplash drums, Mike’s dancing, and of course flying’ Peter Buck. He could have easily landed at Laguardia airport nearby with that move. It was a moment that grasped the breadth of how big R.E.M. were becoming by playing the massive Shea, but they’d already arrived. Their magnetism of pulling off playing this mighty show is still unforgettable.”?Mills/McDuffie Concerto Out on October 14th/Tour Dates Announced
Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra, the first-ever classical work composed and performed by Mike is set for its recorded release October 14 on Orange Mountain Music.? ?Mike composed the piece for his longtime friend and new musical collaborator, critically acclaimed violinist Robert McDuffie, with whom Mike grew up in Macon, GA. The pair is joined on the recording by the McDuffie Center for Strings Ensemble conducted by Ward Stare, made up of students from the award-winning Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University.? ?“It is a pleasure and an honor to have composed and to perform this amazing project alongside my old friend Bobby, whose imagination and encouragement got the whole thing off the ground in the first place,” Mike said. “I can’t wait to see where it takes us.”? ?Mike, Robert McDuffie, and their band (including Athenians John Neff, Patrick Ferguson, and William Tonks) take the Concerto on the road this Fall, beginning with a concert in Miami on October 20.  The tour wraps up in Chicago on November 7. Stay tuned to remhq.com for ticket details.? ?NATIONAL TOUR WITH FIFTH HOUSE ENSEMBLE:?October 20 Miami, FL Knight Concert Hall?October 21 St. Petersburg, FL Mahaffey Theater?October 24 Athens, GA Hodgson Hall?October 25 Newberry, SC Newberry Opera House?October 27 Macon, GA Macon City Auditorium?October 28 Atlanta, GA Emerson Concert Hall at Emory Univ.?October 29 Charleston, SC Charleston Music Hall?October 30 Chapel Hill, NC Memorial Auditorium?November 1 Newport News, VA Ferguson Center for the Arts?November 3 North Bethesda, MD Music Center at Strathmore?November 4 Pittsburgh, PA Byham Theater?November 5 Carmel, IN Palladium Center for the Arts?November 6 Detroit, MI Music Hall?November 7 Chicago, IL Harris Theatre