9:44 AM EDT on September 29, 2026

At this point, it's an annual tradition: The acclaimed, intense, Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon heads out on tour with his indie rocker buddy Jason Narducy, and they pay tribute to a different classic IRS Records-era R.E.M. album. Actual members of R.E.M. sometimes join them. A couple of times, this has led to unofficial R.E.M. reunions. In the past few years. Shannon and Narducy have taken Murmur, Fables Of The Reconstruction, and Lifes Rich Pageant on tour. They'll hit the road again in 2027, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Document.

Document is R.E.M.'s fifth album, and it was their last for IRS before making the jump to Warner Bros. It was the first R.E.M. album to go platinum, and it gave them their first true crossover pop hit in the form of the widely misunderstood singalong "The One I Love." Document is also the R.E.M. record with "Finest Worksong" and "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." At their shows, Shannon and Narducy end up playing tons of R.E.M. songs, so they presumably won't limit themselves to Document, but that's still a record worth saluting.

When Shannon and Narducy hit the road, they'll play with a band that includes Mountain Goats drummer Jon Wurster (Narducy's bandmate in Bob Mould's recent trio), Wilco bassist John Stirratt, ex-Poi Dog Pondeirng guitarist Dag Juhlin, and keyboardist Vijay Tellis-Nayak. They'll head out in February, and they'll be out there for a long time. This time, the tour includes a few places where this act has never been before and a couple of nights in R.E.M.'s Athens, Georgia hometown. Check out the dates below.

TOUR DATES:2/03 - Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall2/05 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall2/06 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall2/07 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre2/09 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom2/12 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore2/13 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore2/27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer2/28 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club3/04 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel3/05 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel3/06 - Boston, MA @ Roadrunner3/09 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium3/11 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue3/12 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre3/13 - Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed4/29 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet's4/30 - San Diego, CA @ Music Box5/01 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether5/03 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theatre5/05 - New Orleans, LA @ The Joy Theater5/07 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle5/08 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club5/10 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club5/13 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel5/14 - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz5/15 - Richmond, VA @ The National

Tickets go on-sale this 10/2 at 10 a.m. local time and; you'll be able to get them here. Check out our We've Got A File On You interview with Michael Shannon here.

The week's most important music stories and least important music memes.