Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2003 | 8:24 a.m.
Try assembling R.E.M.'s greatest hits at a record store and it will cost you a lot more than $20.
But that's all you need to catch the modern rock giants performing their classics Thursday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
In celebration of the arena's 20th anniversary, thousands of tickets to the veteran Athens, Ga., band's "Greatest Hits Tour" stopover are priced at $20, with plenty of those seats still available at press time.
The concert, the seventh date on the tour's U.S. leg, precedes the Oct. 28 release of "In Time: Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003." That collection picks up where 1988's "Eponymous" left off, covering the band's years on Warner Bros. record label.
R.E.M. has begun revealing tracks for the project on its official website, www.remhq.com. So far, it includes "Man on the Moon," "The Great Beyond," "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)," "Losing My Religion" and "E-Bow the Letter," along with two new cuts, "Bad Day" and "Animal."
The band is also scheduled to release a new studio album next year.
Supplementing the core trio -- vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills -- onstage will be three touring musicians, including drummer Bill Rieflin, best known for his work with industrial band Ministry. Longtime R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry retired from the band in 1997.
The show will mark R.E.M.'s second Las Vegas appearance. The first came during 1995's "Monster" tour.
Though R.E.M. will be the main draw, Thursday night's support act, Wilco, should also bring its share of loyal fans to the T&M.
Created by former Uncle Tupelo vocalist/guitarist Jeff Tweedy after that alt-country outfit disbanded in 1994, Chicago's Wilco has drawn tremendous critical acclaim over the past decade.
That wasn't enough to prevent Warner Bros. from declining to release Wilco's latest album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," in 2001, an episode that caused the band to leave the label. That saga was the subject of last year's independent film, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart."
Who: R.E.M.
Where: Thomas & Mack Center.
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Tickets: $65, $20.
Call: 739-3267.
Opening act: Wilco.
Personnel: Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass), Michael Stipe (vocals).
Additional Musicians: Scott McCaughey (guitar, keyboard), Bill Rieflin (drums), Ken Stringfellow (guitar, keyboard).
Latest release: "Reveal" (2001, Warner Bros.)
Essential releases: "Murmur" (1983), "Reckoning" (1984), "Fables of the Reconstruction" (1985), "Life's Rich Pageant" (1986), "Document" (1987), "Automatic for the People" (1992).
What to expect: The band has played songs from each of its 12 full-length studio albums in 2003, from mega-hits such as "The One I Love" and "Losing My Religion" to deeper cuts like "Pilgrimage" and "So. Central Rain." The song list changes considerably from night to night, leaving fans guessing which gems might come their way.
Recent set list: San Diego Street Scene, San Diego, Sunday: "Finest Worksong," "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" "Drive," "Animal," "The Great Beyond," "Exhuming McCarthy," "Bad Day," "The One I Love," "Daysleeper," "Driver 8," "Orange Crush," "I Believe," "Losing My Religion," "Find the River," "Electrolite," "She Just Wants to Be," "Walk Unafraid," "Man on the Moon." Encore: "Everybody Hurts," "Imitation of Life," "Nightswimming," "Get Up," "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." (from fansite www.remisontour.com)
Tour feedback: "Before concluding the night with the expected "End of the World," Stipe detoured through "World Leader Pretend," a song that he had to read off a sheet of paper since he had performed it only once since 1989." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer); "New drummer Bill Rieflin injected a new rhythmic intensity into even the dreamiest, synth-based songs." (San Francisco Chronicle).
Previous Las Vegas appearance: Oct. 27, 1995 (Thomas & Mack).
Says Stipe: "We're writing zillions of songs and pieces of songs, and patching them all together. Themes are starting to emerge, and it sounds like it's taking off from the last couple of records into uncharted R.E.M. territory. Kind of primitive and howling. For me, a very exciting trip." (Rolling Stone, December).
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