For the first time in five years, former REM drummer Bill Berry joined two his former mates on stage for a political fundraiser in Atlanta. Mike Mills and Michael Stipe were also in the mix at a benefit for state senator Doug Haines. Although no REM tracks were played, Mills and Berry teamed up with three other musicians for a number of covers under the Mills/Tonks moniker, including tracks by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Alice Cooper and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Stipe joined the band on vocals for a cover of the The Turtles classic “Happy Together.” It was the first time Berry had played with his ex-mates since leaving the band for health reasons in 1997. Evidently, Peter Buck was stuck on a plane somewhere…
The Mills/Tonks set list:
Beat Farmers – “Gunshow”
Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Who’ll Stop the Rain”
Barry McGuire – “Eve of Destruction”
The Clique – “Superman”
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Ohio”
NRBQ – “When Things Was Cheap”
The Turtles – “Happy Together”
Warren Zevon – “Lawyers, Guns, And Money”
Alice Cooper – “Elected”
