Watch Michael Stipe join members of The National for R.E.M.’s ‘E-Bow The Letter’

Michael Stipe joined The National’s Matt Berninger and Aaron and Bryce Dessner to perform R.E.M.’s ‘E-Bow The Letter’ at a concert in Biarritz on 17 October. The appearance was part of AB100, a festival celebrating the Dessner brothers’ 50th birthdays, and brought together artists with longstanding musical ties.

The song was released in 1996 as the lead single from R.E.M.’s ‘New Adventures In Hi-Fi’, with Patti Smith on the original recording. Stipe said it was written during a stay in San Sebastián in 1995; Aaron Dessner recalled that The National had asked R.E.M. to play it when they toured together in 2008. The National are due to close the festival in San Sebastián with their only full-band concert of 2026, while Stipe continues work on his debut solo album.