R.E.M. was one of those rare bands that has the talent and the passion to not only stick around on the music scene for a very long time, but truly be a part of its core and change it for the better. Now, after 31 years, the band is “calling it a day.” With no temper tantrums and no hard feelings, the four band members are splitting up and disbanding R.E.M. And they’re doing it all for each other, for the fans, and for the band.

The band made the initial announcement on their website yesterday, stating that, “we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.”

The band then updated the announcement later on, each giving their own personal insight to the breakup; and each expressing that there are no hard feelings. The music and concerts had simply come to an end and it had nowhere else to go. Wanting to go out on a high note, they knew it was time and wanted to do it the right way.

R.E.M. is not just a band that tours and records together. They are four men that have seen each other through multiple ups and downs in both their personal lives and throughout the course of their career. The three members that make up the band today are original members of the band; they started it together, and they will end it together. In November, the band will release a greatest hits album that will include the biggest hits of their career.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 at 4:01 pm and is filed under Concerts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.