On This Day, March 14, 1991: R.E.M. play the first of two secret shows in London

On This Day, March 14, 1991…

R.E.M., billed under the pseudonym, Bingo Hand Job, headlined the first of two secret acoustic shows in London as part of a promo tour for their seventh studio album, Out of Time.

The band’s 18-song set list included performances of several songs from the album, including “Losing My Religion,” which became a top 5 hit, plus “Radio Song,” “Low” and “Belong.” The also performed “World Leader Pretend” and “You Are Everything” from Green, “Fall on Me” from Life’s Rich Pageant and more.

An album featuring performances from the two shows was released on vinyl for Record Store Day in 2019.

Out of Time peaked at #1 in both the U.S. and the U.K., and went on to sell more than 18 million copies worldwide.