R.E.M. announced on Monday plans for a worldwide tour, set to launch June 17th in Portugal and play Europe before beginning a US run August 9th in Los Angeles, which is expected to continue through a September 11th show near Boston. The initial tour plan calls for multiple-night stands in Los Angeles and Atlanta.

The Athens, Georgia-based trio (currently without an officially-named drummer since the 1997 exit of founding member Bill Berry) had announced plans in 1998 to tour behind the release of Up, but then cancelled those plans, citing ambivalent feelings about performing without Berry.

Beck drummer Joey Waronker quit his Beck gig to join the R.E.M. tour, but was quickly welcomed back to the fold when the tour evaporated after a few promotional dates. Published reports indicate that he is again on board for the R.E.M. outing, along with both Scott McCaughey and Ken Stringfellow, who also performed on the promo tour.

Up, R.E.M.'s latest effort, has not produced the stellar sales figures many attach to an act who's current deal with Warner Brothers is reportedly worth in the neighborhood of $80 million. The album currently holds the #163 position on Billboard's pop album chart in its 14th week of release.

Regardless of faltering sales, band members said in a prepared statement that they are simply ''really excited to play.''

During the band's last tour in 1995 for the album Monster, Berry underwent hospitalization for a brain aneurysm, Mike Mills had stomach surgery and Michael Stipe suffered a hernia. Berry left the group in the months following the close of the tour.

No announcements regarding opening acts have been made yet.

Here's the latest itinerary for R.E.M.: