The American alternative rock pioneers R.E.M. will make landfall in Finland early next year, after a 15-year absence since their last appearance in these parts. The band will be performing in concert at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on Saturday, January 29th. Tickets go on sale next Monday from Lippupalvelu (Ticket Service Finland).
The last time the group performed in this country was at the 1989 Provinssirock festival. This was shortly before their final breakthrough with albums such as Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), both of which sold more than 4 million copies in the United States alone. The band released a "Greatest Hits" compilation last year under the title In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 .
The upcoming North American and European concert tours are being made in connection with the release of new material: R.E.M.'s new album Around the Sun should be in stores from early October.
The album's lyrics are said to include treatment of such issues as the war in Iraq and globalisation.
R.E.M. are also involved in the "Vote for Change" tour to be held in the U.S. this autumn in the run-up to the Presidential Election, alongside artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp, Bonnie Raitt, Pearl Jam, and the Dixie Chicks.
