Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and friends to tour R.E.M.'s 'Lifes Rich Pageant' in 2026 to celebrate 40th anniversary

Michael Shannon is such an interesting person — a much-loved character actor with a steely persona who lives in Chicago and generally removes himself from Hollywood conversations despite a busy and long-running film career. Also, he’s now the frontman of the world’s most celebrated R.E.M. cover band. Shannon and his indie-rocker friend Jason Narducy recently wrapped up the tour where they played R.E.M.’s 1985 album Fables Of The Reconstruction every night. This led to some big moments. For instance! Every member of R.E.M. reunited to join Shannon, Narducy, and friends in Athens. We didn’t post it, but Michael Stipe sang with Shannon and Narducy again when the tour came to Brooklyn. So why would Shannon and Narducy stop doing it now? The next time that Shannon and Narducy head out on tour, they’ll cover another R.E.M. album, the 1986 classic Lifes Rich Pageant.