R.E.M - Arts Festival Of Atlanta 1982

R.E.M. Live from Festival Stage, Arts Festival of Atlanta, Piedmont park, Atlanta, GA, May 14th 1982. R.E.M.'s appearance at Piedmont Park, Atlanta, Georgia on May 14th 1982, broadcast by WRFG 89.3 FM radio, was the first complete live broadcast and the first known performance of 'Pilgrimage'.

R.E.M. formed whilst at University in Georgia in 1980, but soon dropped out to pursue their music career after the initial success of Radio Free Europe and landed their much-needed break.

They signed to I.R.S Records in 1982 and re-recorded the track, becoming the first single for their debut 1983 record Murmur, which went on to reach #36 in the billboard charts.

Rolling Stone Magazine listed Murmur as the record of the year, beating Michael Jackson's Thriller and U2's War.

The set also features Radio Free Europe, Sitting Still, Laughing, Catapult and 9-9 off their debut album. The album drew substantial critical acclaim. Jonathan Gregg of Record described Murmuras a splendid little film noir of an album, austere but rich in implication. Their record company I.R.S. was mind-boggled by the album's positive reviews, especially in the British press, since R.E.M. had not yet toured there.

Little did anyone know at the time what a global phenomenon R.E.M would later become....