On what date did R.E.M. play their first show?

On what date did R.E.M. play their first show? R.E.M. played its first show on April 5, 1980.

The performance took place at a birthday party for Kathleen O’Brien in the former St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Athens, Georgia, which the fledgling band also used as a rehearsal space. The Side Effects supported them.

R.E.M. had formed earlier that year after Peter Buck met Michael Stipe at Wuxtry Records. Through O’Brien, they connected with Bill Berry and Mike Mills, who had already played together in Macon, Georgia. The quartet spent several months developing its sound before appearing publicly.

The set mixed original songs with covers from the 1960s and 1970s. The band was not yet firmly established under its final name; after considering alternatives, the members settled on “R.E.M.,” a name Michael Stipe selected from a dictionary.