Michael Stipe Sings E-Bow The Letter with The National

Michael Stipe performed the song E-Bow The Letter alongside members of The National during a private concert at the Atabal venue in France. The performance took place as part of the AB100 festival celebrating the 50th birthdays of Aaron and Bryce Dessner. At the opening concert, titled Mixtape, musicians including Ben Howard, Kevin Morby, and Jon Hopkins accompanied the Dessner brothers.

Before beginning the song, Stipe presented handmade sculptures to both Dessner brothers. E-Bow The Letter was the lead single from the 1996 R.E.M. album New Adventures In Hi-Fi and featured vocals by Patti Smith. In June 2020, Stipe and Aaron Dessner released a collaborative single titled No Time For Love Like Now. The single was issued under Dessner's Big Red Machine project with arrangements by Bryce.

The National's most recent studio album was Laugh Track, released in 2023. Stipe shared a spoken-word track titled Hum Desiderata in July, and he has stated that he hopes to release his debut solo album before the end of 2026.