Many R.E.M. fans still mourn the day in 2011 when the band announced their breakup, but those holding out hope they may one day reunite will likely be disappointed.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone to promote the 25th anniversary reissue of their 11th studio album, Up, bassist Mike Mills insists he and his bandmates, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Bill Berry, will not be getting back together.
“There is not,” he replied, when asked if there was a chance of a reunion tour. “We’ve all got our own things that we’re doing, and I think we’re all really happy with the way things are.”
And Mills said seeing another huge band onstage made him realize he didn’t really miss going out on a big tour.
“I went to see U2 a few years ago, and they were so good. I was sitting there thinking, ‘Man, I could be up there doing that. That would be so much fun,’” he explained. “I said, ‘They’ll be doing it tomorrow night, and the night after that, and the week after that, and the week after that, and the month after that.’ I said, ‘You know what? It’s actually OK.’”
As for the breakup, Mills said they all knew it was the right time to go their separate ways.
“The music industry had radically changed. Our relationship to it had changed. Our record contract was up. Our record company was very different,” he said. “We said, ‘Let’s do something that nobody’s done and shake hands and walk away as friends, and go do other things while we’re still young enough to do them.'”
The 25th anniversary reissue of Up will be released November 10. It is available for preorder now.
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