At some point before graduation, nearly every single person
passing through this town will spot Michael Stipe.

On Tuesday night at the Georgia Theatre, people believed they
were just going to see the film, “Our Song.” Instead, they got a lot
more than they expected.

After the film and opening act, R.E.M. came on stage and played
over an hour and a half to a crowd of 800 people.

The concert was a benefit for the non-profit organization
Community Connection, located here in Athens.

During the set, R.E.M. mainly played newer songs off “Reveal”
including the two singles “Imitation of Life” and “All the Way to
Reno.” The band did stray back to some of its classics, however. It
managed to fit in “Losing My Religion” and “Man on the Moon.”

Butler, a senior from Fayetteville, was one of the lucky ones who
got into the show.

“I was sitting at work and a guy came in and said ‘Do you want to
see R.E.M. in about an hour?’ ” Butler said.

After learning the news, Butler quickly got on the phone and called
a close friend in Atlanta.

“Brandon called me at 9:30 p.m. and I sped up to Athens like
crazy,” said Vaughn Sterling, a UGA alumni from Atlanta. “It was so
cool to see them in a place like the Theatre because they are an
arena band.”

This was R.E.M.’s first all-electric show in Athens since 1992 at the
40 Watt. Since then, R.E.M. has appeared on several occasions.
The last time R.E.M. played a short set acoustically was 1999 on
the steps of City Hall, according to REMhq.com.

“It (the show) was almost too bizarre to rate,” Butler said. “You
could tell R.E.M. was really excited to be there. They were playing
to a room full of friends and it was really laid back.”

“People sang along with the band,” Sterling said. “It was a really
cool atmosphere. There weren’t that many people there so you
had plenty of breathing room.”

Also attending the show was Reginald Williamson, a junior from
Atlanta.

“They were really close to the audience since it was such a small
show,” Williamson said. “They played with a lot of energy,
obviously it was awesome.”

To close the show, R.E.M. played its “It’s the End of the World as
We Know it (and I feel fine).”