The REM camp have been talking about the preparations for their upcoming world tour which includes back-to-back Dublin shows in Marlay Park on July 16 and 17.
"The rehearsals in Vancouver are going well," enthuses Michael Stipe. "We've worked up about 70 songs so far and Bill Rieflin, the drummer, is working like a dog to keep up but sounding great!
"It feels like the early days of summer camp now for the tour – exciting with everyone buzzing around setting things up and bouncing ideas off each other."
Those sentiments are echoed by manager Bertis Downs who adds: "The rehearsals are in the big room of the studio where all six guys are spread out in a way approximating their position on stage over the years. An array of every stringed instrument ever invented surrounds them making possible any arrangement of any song at any time.
"A lot of material is being readied including some I haven't heard in a long, long time. I won't give away specific titles but I will say that songs from each album are being rehearsed, so I'm guessing it'll be a varied and dynamic experience as it unfolds night by night."
As for the new REM album – due in early 2004 – Stipe comments: "The mixes are getting wilder and louder and I'm trying to keep the packaging simple, I swear it!"