R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck rules out lucrative reunion tours
Despite recent surprise performances, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck has firmly ruled out a full-scale reunion tour, rejecting a lucrative business model that European festivals rely upon to drive ticket sales.
On June 13, 2024, the four original members of R.E.M. shared a stage in New York for the first time in decades. Performing "Losing My Religion" at the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction at the Marriott Marquis, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry sparked immediate speculation about a potential comeback. It followed a similar surprise performance in Athens, Georgia earlier this year.
However, Buck has firmly shut the door on any commercial reunion. In a new interview with MOJO, the guitarist ruled out an official, full-scale tour. "When we decided it was the end, I felt fine with it," Buck said. "That was the story – it had a beginning and an end."
Buck's refusal is a notable departure from the economic reality of the modern live music industry. Today's European festival circuit heavily relies on legacy acts to drive ticket sales, merchandising and overall revenue. Promoters frequently build their summer lineups around bands performing classic albums from decades past.
Buck is explicitly rejecting this highly profitable nostalgia market. "I just don’t want to be the legacy act at Glastonbury playing our 40-year-old hits," he said. He compared R.E.M. to The Smiths, noting they are among the few major bands refusing to participate in the lucrative reunion circuit.
Instead of cashing in, Buck emphasized that the band's story is finished. R.E.M. ended its run in 2008, though Berry had not toured with them since suffering a brain aneurysm in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1995. "I don’t want to cheapen it by going out there just for ego and money," Buck said. "I don’t need the money, and my ego? Well, I’ve had enough applause to last 10 lifetimes.”
Buck is now focused on new creative ventures. He is playing in Drink The Sea alongside former Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin and multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes. The group will release its third studio album, "Drink The Sea III", on October 2.
The record is being distributed through Sunyata Records and Sony Orchard Digital Music. Drink The Sea will also bring its tour to the UK this autumn, playing Cardiff's The Gate on September 30, Manchester's Band On The Wall on October 1, London's Islington Assembly Hall on October 2, and Brighton's Chalk on October 3.
