R.E.M. | Arts & Entertainment | West Virginia University

R.E.M.
Green World Tour 1989
with Special Guests Indigo Girls

_{Photo by Monica Slagle, The Dominion Post}
SHOW DATE: Friday, April 7, 1989 • 7:30pm
When college radio darlings R.E.M. performed at the Coliseum in April 1989, it was a two-fold celebration. The Georgia rockers Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Bill Berry had just been named "America's Best Rock & Roll Band" by "Rolling Stone" magazine. Their relentless touring and smartly crafted records had propelled them into the mainstream so the fact that they were performing in Morgantown was a huge win for the Activities Program Board (what is now WVU Arts & Entertainment). ^{From left to right: Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Bill Berry} That win was even more significant because when the Activities Program Board first approached R.E.M.'s management about playing the Coliseum, the Board was told that band was only interested in performing in major metropolitan areas on the first leg of the 1989 Green World Tour. Board members circulated a petition that, in just five days, netted nearly 4,000 student signatures in an effort to change the band's mind. And change it, they did! When the band received the signatures, they chose to bypass Pittsburgh and play the Coliseum instead. "We are very fortunate to get R.E.M." Eric Andrews, then Student Activities program advisor and now WVU Arts & Entertainment director, told reporters. "The student petition signing campaign was definitely a deciding factor on the band choosing to play in Morgantown." The remainder of the first part of the tour only included major metropolitan areas like Atlanta, Washington, Cleveland and New York. Nearly 9,000 fans were in attendance for the concert, which would serve as proof to other bands that Morgantown was a viable market for music other than country. The "Dominion Post" reported that R.E.M performed nearly 30 songs, with "Stand" coming "near the end of the show, when the crowd was at its emotional peak after having whipped itself into a minor frenzy for the opening songs." As for the Indigo Girls performance, The "Dominion Post" described their set as "a handful of harmonious songs that seemed just right in volume and substance. With two acoustic guitars and two strong-but-pretty voices, the Girls sounded a lot like early Heart, before the Wilson sisters gave up their acoustic (and acapella) talents for lipstick video rock. The Girls seem too down-home to go that route. Besides, they keep good company; they even brought Stipe on stage to sing with them on their last song."
^{A student works to build the stage for R.E.M. Photo by Dave Black, The Daily Athenaeum.}
^{WVU students sitting near tents outside the Coliseum as they wait for R.E.M. tickets to go on sale. Photo by Ron Rittenhouse, The Dominion Post.}