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:: 8.18.2004 ::

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R.E.M. joins pro-Kerry tour
From Athens Weekly News
By: Brad Aaron

R.E.M. has rearranged its upcoming tour schedule to play five shows with Bruce Springsteen in support of the John Kerry presidential campaign.

The shows are part of the "Vote for Change" tour, a series of fundraising performances to be concentrated in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan and Florida. Performing in different cities across those states from October 1 through 10 will be R.E.M. and Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Dixie Chicks, John Mellencamp, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket and Jurassic 5, among others.

R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs says the impetus for the tour came from an April meeting of about 50 managers and artists who gathered in New York City to discuss their respective plans for election season.

"Our position has been [that] we want to do something," says Downs. "A lot of other people were sort of thinking the same thing."

Springsteen's manager Jon Landau conceived the notion of having different artists play different cities in the same battleground state on the same night-a break from the traditional one-shot benefit concert where performers line up for short sets on the same stage.

Proceeds from the shows will benefit America Coming Together (ACT), a pro-Democrat group which bills itself as "the largest voter contact program in history." For the concerts, ACT has partnered with the political action committee of MoveOn, a popular and unapologetically anti-Bush organization that defines its mission as bringing "ordinary people back into politics."

"We all agreed we should try to raise money to go into actual get out the vote efforts," Downs says, "so ACT seemed like the right beneficiary."

But for R.E.M. to participate, the band had to alter plans for a fall U.S. tour in support of its latest album, "Around the Sun."

"We wanted to do this thing, and we needed to fit everybody else's time period," says Downs, "so we essentially junked our first tour and put it back together as best we could."

R.E.M. will appear with Springsteen in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Ann Arbor, St. Paul and Orlando. Also on the bill are John Fogerty and Bright Eyes.

"Our goal is to change the direction of the government and change the current administration come November," wrote Springsteen in a recent New York Times op-ed.

As the weathered campaign sign in one window of R.E.M.'s downtown office can attest, Downs backed John Kerry long before the Massachusetts senator sealed the Democratic nomination. And for the first time since 1992's "Automatic for the People," the band's political persuasions will be evident on record with "Around the Sun," set for release on October 5.

"Some of the songs seem to be more political than others," including "The Outsiders" and "Final Straw," says Downs. R.E.M. released the first incarnation of "Final Straw" last year in response to the war in Iraq. A different mix appears on the "Future Soundtrack for America" compilation, which also benefits MoveOn.

"There's nothing on the record that says 'Vote for Kerry,'" Downs continues. "As Michael [Stipe] writes he writes kind of impressionistically about what's on his heart, what's on his mind."

Though R.E.M.'s last few records have lacked the populist fire of eighties sets like "Document" and "Green," Downs says band members have remained active.

"They've done some cause-related stuff over the years, and they've certainly given money to candidates and tried to do their part to help out as citizens. That's been the same whether the songs were reflecting it or not."

For instance, singer Stipe served last November as a judge for MoveOn's "Bush in 30 Seconds" contest, which awarded prizes for ad spots challenging Bush policies. Earlier this year, Stipe and bassist Mike Mills helped out with publicity for the launch of the liberal Air America Radio network. Mills also went public recently to challenge new Federal Communications Commission policy weakening media ownership regulations.

As for the music, says Downs, "There's no master plan. There's no, like, 'Let's veer back toward being more political.' I think it's just more of what materialized when the artists got together and started creating."

The new material, no doubt, will be a prominent feature of the Vote for Change shows. Dates and ticket information are available here.

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