arrived at for their Worthy Farm debut in 1999 on the back of one of the most uncertain periods in their history – well, apart from when they actually split up a decade or so later, anyway. Their drummer and emotional rock Bill Berry had quit after the release of 1996’s and remaining members Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills had wondered whether they could continue. They did, with Stipe famously reasoning that “a three-legged dog is still a dog, it just has to learn to run differently”.
Glastonbury 1999 was where the world was about to find out if the trio could still gallop with the best of them. There had been a few one-off shows in the run up to it – their first post-Berry record had been released the previous October – and their European tour had begun the week before but there was nothing as high-profile as a headline slot at the world’s most famous festival. With former Beck drummer Joey Waronker joining them behind the kit, they knocked it out the park (or farm).
It was this writer’s first ever Glastonbury and what a way to see it in – R.E.M’s performance was a glorious, triumphant set that pulled from their rich history with euphoric renditions of , , et al as well as lighting the way forward.
From the moment the swaggering groove of opener kicks into gear, all was reassured. One of the biggest bands in the world were still one of the best bands in the world. Speaking on R.
E.M.’s official website a few years ago, Stipe looked back on the s.
