Joey Waronker and R.E.M.

Joey Waronker’s first experience of R.E.M. in the flesh occurred in 1985, when he was a tender fifteen years of age. "We had actually known him since he was in high school," confirmed R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs, IV. ["R.E.M. | Fiction: An Alternative Biography", Virgin (2002). ISBN 1-85227-927-3] The then-quartet were performing at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where Waronker’s sister, Anna, later studied. "I was roaming around the East Coast, and my friends were going to see them at Brown," Waronker told the "Minneapolis Star Tribune" in 1999. "They played a show outside. It was pretty amazing. It was the biggest show I’d ever been to." Little did he know that, thirteen years later, he’d be playing with the band.

In October 1997, R.E.M.’s drummer and founding member Bill Berry quit the band in pursuit of a quieter life. Seven months later, while R.E.M. was rehearsing in Athens, Georgia, in preparation for a tour in support of that year’s "Up", the band’s management called Waronker and asked if he would like to come and play with the band. "It was really secretive," the drummer explained to Ink19.com later that year. "I had no idea what was going on. They said, ‘If you can do it, we’ll set it up.’ I went along with it, and realised that I was trying out for the band. After playing with them, they said, ‘We know you’re playing with Beck and we don’t want to jeopardise that, but we’d like to work with you,’" he continued. "When I first played with them at their rehearsal place, we didn’t play any old songs. Peter [Buck, R.E.M.’s guitarist] said, ‘I just wrote this song, it goes like this...’ and just played it. It was the most amazing experience for me. I just came up with the part for it and he was like, ‘That’s cool, here’s the next section.’ After a while we had worked out a rhythm track and recorded it. I’d always heard about this sort of mythical process, like, ‘Wow, they write songs as a band.’ And there I was. That was enough for me."

Were his ideas welcomed? "They were definitely welcome, but it’s been their band for so long. Basically, whatever I wanted to do was fine, but I wouldn’t dare do this if I didn’t think I could contribute and play what’s appropriate for their music."

Two weeks after his 29th birthday, a bearded Waronker began final preparations for his first performance with his new employers. On June 12, 1998, R.E.M. travelled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Tibetan Freedom Concert. Radiohead’s Thom Yorke rehearsed ‘Be Mine’ with R.E.M.’s instrumentalists; Michael Stipe would return the favour for Radiohead’s ‘Lucky’. In "This Way Up", a documentary following R.E.M. through the making of "Up", Buck can be seen in the background at the aforementioned rehearsal giving drumming advice, of all things, to Waronker.

The two-day event, which took place at RFK Stadium, was scheduled to begin on Saturday, June 13, but a severe thunder and lightning storm forced the first day to be cancelled. Sunday’s sets were curtailed to accommodate those bands who were put out the previous day.

Waronker took to the stage with R.E.M., but instead of being able to rock out on his debut song, the band performed a new song, ‘Airportman’, which also happened to be the slowest song in their catalogue. ‘Losing My Religion’ followed, only for the tempo to be slowed down again with ‘Suspicion’, the second of four brand-new songs that were aired (‘Sad Professor’ and ‘Parakeet’ being the other two). As planned, Thom Yorke joined R.E.M. for a performance of ‘Be Mine’ as well as ‘E-Bow the Letter’. The eight-song set was rounded out with crowd-favourite ‘Man on the Moon’.

After the performance, the band headed straight back to their West Clayton Street studio in Athens to continue work on "Up", which was due to be released in four months’ time.

A short break in proceedings occurred in early July when R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs took Buck, Mike Mills, and Stipe for a "crisis meeting" in Idaho in order to iron out the problems that had arisen during the sessions. The problems, it later arose, almost caused the band’s demise.

A list of the shows for which Waronker played with R.E.M. is included below.

1998

June

14 - Tibetan Freedom Concert, RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

October

2 - Jewel Heart Concert, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
17 - Bridge School Benefit Concert, Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, California
18 - Bridge School Benefit Concert, Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, California
21 - Bowery Ballroom, New York City, New York
:"Joey wasn't born when it was first released," joked Michael Stipe about 'Radio Free Europe'.

22 - "Late Show with David Letterman", Ed Sullivan Theater, New York City, New York
23 - VH1 "Storytellers", Hammerstein Ballroom, Manhattan Center, New York City, New York
25 - BBC Radio Theatre, London, England
:"Sitting in probably the most difficult seat in the house, Mr. Joey Waronker on drums," introduced Stipe.

27 - "Later with Jools Holland", BBC Television Centre, London, England
:Several of these songs would be released as b-sides on "At My Most Beautiful" and "Suspicion".29 - "Uptake", Ealing Studios, London, England
30 - "Top of the Pops", BBC Television Centre, London, England
30 - "TFI Friday", London, England

November

2 - Grünspan Club, Hamburg, Germany
:"Holding down the heavy, heavy beat..." began Stipe. "Joey!" yelled an audience member. "Don't get ahead of me, pal," retorted Stipe. "Alright. Mr. Joey Waronker, let's hear it!" "The gentleman right behind him is a cameraman - I don't know his name," continued the frontman. [Waronker checked, and passed on the information] "Igor on camera!" confirmed Stipe.

4 - "Septimo de Caballeria", Madrid, Spain
6 - Orpheum, Vienna, Austria
9 - Grand Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden
11 - "Night Express", Milan, Italy
12 - MTV European Music Video Awards, Milan, Italy
15 - "Modern Rock Live", New York City, New York
17 - "Late Night with Conan O’Brien", New York City, New York
20 - "Rosie O’Donnell Show", New York City, New York

December

7 - "Rockline", Los Angeles, California
10 - "Tonight Show with Jay Leno", NBC Studios, Burbank, California

Waronker is also featured on "Up", which was released in October.

1999

In the aforementioned "Minneapolis Star Tribune" article from this year, Waronker was asked how many R.E.M. songs he knows how to play. "Probably around fifty," he replied. "I think we have about forty that we're rotating amongst." How does he learn them? "I had to make a book - just notes - on every song. It's really, really subtle rhythmically. There's a lot going on, and I never noticed it. I'm a drummer, and I never picked up on it. I was listening to the songs, saying, 'These are definitely not straightforward,'" he continued. "The early songs are weird structurally. Also, at soundcheck, somebody might say, 'Let's play a song we haven't played since rehearsals in Athens.'"

February

17 - "Party of Five", Palace Theater, Los Angeles, California
19 - "Intimate and Interactive", Musique Plus, Montreal, Canada
22 - Tibet House Benefit Concert, Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York
25 - San Remo Music Festival, San Remo, Italy
28 - "Taratata", Bologna, Italy

March

2 - The Tabernacle, London, England
4 - Echo Awards, Hamburg, Germany
6 - Czech Grammy Awards, Prague, Czech Republic
8 - Concert d’un soir, Paris, France
9 - "Nulle Part Ailleurs", Paris, France
11 - Luuk, Stockholm, Sweden
12 - Wiese, Oslo, Norway

June

17 - Pavilhão Atlântico, Lisbon, Portugal
19 - La Peineta Stadium, Madrid, Spain
20 - Recinto Playa de Samil, Vigo, Spain
22 - Earls Court, London, England
23 - Earls Court, London, England
25 - Glastonbury Festival, Pilton, England
26 - Arena, Oberhausen, Germany
27 - Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
29 - Machse, Hannover, Germany
30 - Wuhlheide, Berlin, Germany

July

2 - Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark
4 - Werchter Festival, Werchter, Belgium
5 - Bercy Omnisport Palais, Paris, France
6 - Stravinski Auditorium, Montreux, Switzerland
8 - Staatsoper, Vienna, Austria
9 - MTK Stadium, Budapest, Hungary
11 - Dall’Ara Stadium, Bologna, Italy
13 - Horse Riding Stadium, Munich, Germany
14 - Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
16 - Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland
:"There’s nothing quite like watching the band play ‘Everybody Hurts’ in front of a 40,000 capacity crowd in Ireland and seeing everyone crying in the front row," Waronker later explained.

17 - Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester, England
19 - Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland
20 - Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland
21 - Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland
:The Stirling Castle performances and their build-up are documented in "A Stirling Performance".23 - Agios Kosmas, Athens, Greece
25 - Bonifika Sport Hall, Koper, Slovenia

August

9 - Greek Theater, Los Angeles, California
10 - Greek Theater, Los Angeles, California
11 - Irvine Meadows, Irvine, California
13 - Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, California
15 - Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver, Colorado
17 - Retama Park, San Antonio, Texas
19 - Riverport Amphitheater, St. Louis, Missouri
20 - The World, Chicago, Illinois
21 - Midway Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
23 - Pine Knob, Clarkston, Michigan
24 - Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, Canada
25 - Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, Ohio
27 - Walnut Creek Amphitheater, Raleigh, North Carolina
29 - Chastain Park Amphitheater, Atlanta, Georgia
:Bill Berry made a guest appearance during the show. After embracing his former bandmates, he shook hands with Waronker, as if officially handing over the drumsticks.

30 - Chastain Park Amphitheater, Atlanta, Georgia
31 - Chastain Park Amphitheater, Atlanta, Georgia

eptember

2 - Bumbershoot Festival, Seattle Center Memorial Stadium, Seattle, Washington
4 - Jones Beach Amphitheater, Wantagh, New York
5 - Blockbuster-Sony Music Center, Camden, New Jersey
6 - PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, New Jersey
8 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, New York
10 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland
11 - Great Woods Amphitheater, Mansfield, Massachusetts
:At the show's conclusion, in true rock-star fashion, Waronker and Ken Stringfellow trashed their instruments, while Peter Buck stood by and shook his head before carrying Michael Stipe off the stage.

December

11 - "Saturday Night Live", NBC Studios, New York City, New York
13 - "Late Show with David Letterman", Ed Sullivan Theater, New York City, New York

Earlier in 1999, R.E.M. recorded 'The Great Beyond' for later inclusion on the "Man on the Moon" soundtrack. Waronker provided the drumming.

2001

January

13 - Rock in Rio Festival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
17 - Campo de Polo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

April

26 - "Top of the Pops", BBC Television Centre, London, England
28 - "", London, England
29 - South Africa Freedom Day Concert, Trafalgar Square, London, England

May

1 - "Later with Jools Holland", BBC Television Centre, London, England
2 - "MTV Sonic", Milan, Italy
3 - "125 Milioni di Cazzate", Milan, Italy
4 - "Nuille Part Ailleurs", Paris, France
7 - "La Maison de la Radio", France Inter Radio, Paris, France
8 - "Musica Si", Madrid, Spain
9 - "Lo Mas 40", Madrid, Spain
12 - Cologne Cathedral, Roncalliplatz, Cologne, Germany
15 - "Out to Lunch", K-Rock studios, New York City, New York
15 - "Late Show with David Letterman", Ed Sullivan Theater, New York City, New York
17 - Yonge and Dundas Streets, Toronto, Canada
18 - Museum of Television and Radio, New York City, New York (two sets - one for 99X Radio in Atlanta and one for Y100 in Philadelphia)
21 - "MTV Unplugged", MTV Studios, Times Square, New York City, New York
:"Awww, Santa?" joked Mike Mills as Waronker's oversight curtailed the second take of 'At My Most Beautiful'. "No sleigh bells?" Peter Buck enquired of the drummer. "That'll never do," deadpanned the guitarist.: "On percussion, and celebrating a birthday, Mr. Joey Waronker," introduced Stipe.

26 - "Pop's Best 10", Tokyo-FM, Tokyo, Japan
28 - "Viva Access", J-Wave Studios, Tokyo, Japan
28 - "Future Tracks", J-Wave Studios, Tokyo, Japan
30 - "The Panel", Channel 10 Studios, Melbourne, Australia
31 - "Live at the Wireless", Triple J Studios, Sydney, Australia
31 - "By Demand", Channel V Studios, Sydney, Australia

June

1 - Triple M Studios, Sydney, Australia
1 - Nova 969 Studios, Sydney, Australia
8 - Museum of Television and Radio, Beverly Hills (three sets - one for 98.7 Star FM in Los Angeles, one for WXRT Chicago, and one for KCRW-FM in Santa Monica)

October

16 - Georgia Theater, Athens, Georgia
18 - KFOG Studios, San Francisco, California
20 - Bridge School Benefit, Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, California
21 - Bridge School Benefit, Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View, California
22 - Groundwork Benefit, Key Arena, Seattle, Washington
23 - Crocodile Café, Seattle, Washington

Earlier on the day of the above show, R.E.M. recorded 'All the Right Friends', an old song of theirs, at Studio X in Seattle. On an R.E.M. special of "The South Bank Show", which aired in May 2002, Waronker was seen sitting next to Mills on the control-room couch, both of them reading, while Buck recorded his guitar part. Once completed, the camera followed Buck into the control room, where he gave a listen to the pre-vocal version of the song. One view showed Mills and Waronker on the couch in the background - the former with his eyes closed, book-to-mouth, and the foot of the leg he had crossed over the other was tapping out the beat. The latter, also with his eyes closed, looked to be fast asleep.

November

8 - MTV Europe Music Awards, Frankfurt, Germany

Waronker is also featured on "Reveal", which was released in May.

2002

January

31 - Gay Men's Health Crisis Benefit, Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York

February

14 - Love Rocks Charity Event, Kodak Theater, Los Angeles, California

Notes

References

* [http://www.remtimeline.com The R.E.M. Timeline]