R.E.M. Announce Up 25th Anniversary Edition Featuring A Show Recorded On The Set Of Party Of Five
Next up in the R.E.M. reissue pipeline is a 25th anniversary edition of 1998’s Up, due out in November. The bonus material on this one is headlined by a fairly unusual batch of live material: an 11-song performance recorded on the set of Party Of Five, the corny TV ensemble drama with a cast including Scream queen Neve Campbell and future Lost dude Matthew Fox.
The concert was filmed in early 1999 at the tiny Palace Theatre in Los Angeles in front of 175 R.E.M. fan club members. The band performed their current single at the time, “At My Most Beautiful,” within a Party Of Five episode — their first appearance within a scripted TV show — but also used the gig as a chance to rehearse for their upcoming tour. “Who would have thought we’d ever do stuff like this?” Mike Mills said to to MTV News at the time. “It’s goofy stuff, but a lot of people in our office watch [Party Of Five]. It’s a good show and it’s a chance for us to play a whole song live on TV.”
The two-CD, one-BluRay deluxe Up reissue also includes HD music videos from the era and a six-song performance called Uptake filmed at a studio in London. There are also extensive new liner notes by journalist and Stereogum contributor Josh Modell. They’re beginning to promote it today with the release of “Daysleeper” from the Party Of Five set, which you can hear below with some post-song banter tacked on.
The Up 25th anniversary reissue is out 11/10 via Craft Recordings. Pre-order it here.