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He will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s third album “Fables of the Reconstruction� by playing it in its entirety at Delmar Hall on Feb. 25.

Joining him is Jason Narducy, who currently records under the moniker Split Single, and a few of their friends. Narducy previously played in the punk band Verboten with Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, and fronted Verbow, an indie band that lasted from the mid 1990s to mid 2000s and was signed to Epic records.

In addition to playing in bands, Narducy has been a touring bassist for several artists, including Bob Mould, Superchunk and Sunny Day Real Estate.

Making music together is nothing new for the duo who have spent more than a decade playing live versions of many of their favorite albums by Bob Dylan, the Smiths and T. Rex in Chicago clubs.

“Michael Shannon and I have been doing rock shows since 2014. We met through Robbie Fulks, another musician. Robbie used to have a Monday night residency at the Hideout in Chicago. He wanted to perform Lou Reed’s ‘Blue Mask’ album from top to bottom, and he recruited Michael for vocals and me for bass. That was the first time we met,� Narducy says.

They performed together again, this time covering the Velvet Underground, but then Robbie moved.

“Since then, Michael and I have done annual shows in Chicago that were mostly album performances such as Neil Young and the Modern Lovers,� Narducy says.

Two years ago, Shannon and Narducy performed R.E.M.’s album “Murmur� in its entirety. The performance was so well received that a short tour was booked. Now the duo are at it again with “Fables.�

While “Murmur,� and R.E.M.’s preceding EP, “Chronic Town� are straight forward indie rock records, “Fables of the Reconstruction� is more of a challenge to play live. Featuring classic cuts like “Feeling Gravity’s Pull,� “Maps and Legends,� and the popular “Driver 8� and “Can’t Get There From Here,� the album includes more instrumentation and a muddier and textured sound.

Despite being darker in tone and more experimental in its sound, the record’s interesting characters and Southern Gothic vibe resonate with fans four decades later.

“They are very different albums. Although there aren’t any songs on ‘Fables’ that are as challenging as ‘9-9’ from ‘Murmur.’ Even R.E.M. avoided playing that one!� he says. “I’m playing banjo on ‘Wendell Gee.’ I’m not a banjo player. I might get laughed off the stage.�

Narducy has been a fan of R.E.M. since high school.

“A friend of mine in high school played me a song from ‘Fables of the Reconstruction.’ He had just seen them at the UIC Pavilion. Either ‘Driver 8’ or ‘Can’t Get There From Here’ was the first R.E.M. song I heard, and ‘Document’ was the first R.E.M. album I bought.�

After the show here, Shannon and Narducy will play some shows in Athens, Georgia, R.E.M.’s hometown. In August they will head off to England.

“R.E.M. recorded ‘Fables’ in London so it made sense historically for us to play there. It does not make sense financially (thanks to Brexit), but we are going.�

When asked if there will be another tour after this one for a different R.E.M. album, Narducy is optimistic. “I hope so. This is a lot of fun.�

Touring with Shannon is different for Narducy than playing in Verboten.

“It’s very different musically and physically for me. Verboten is a punk rock band, and I do a lot of singing. Interpreting another band’s music requires a different mindset — one beyond writing original songs and conveying your own stories.�

When not touring with Shannon, Narducy will head out on the road with Bob Mould, Superchunk and a solo tour for the rest of 2025. As for Shannon, he will be promoting his film directorial debut, “Eric Larue,� which comes out on April 4.

Narducy also joked about what he hoped audiences would take away from the show.

“A T-shirt and a poster so we can afford the UK tour. It’s very difficult for bands to tour over there.�