Texas Highway Shut Down by REM for Iconic Music Video Shoot

No one likes a traffic jam, especially in Texas where some of our highways are an absolute nightmare to be stuck on. Back in 1992, the traffic was halted in San Antonio, not because of a car crash, but because of a rock band: R.E.M.

R.E.M. blocked off a Texas highway? Which one?

Anyone who's driven on Interstate 10, aka I-10, knows how huge it is: Over 2000 miles that stretches between the southern part of the country. I-10 runs between California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama & ending in Florida. The stretch we're interested in, is the stretch in San Antonio; near the I-35 Interchange and the intersection of Fredericksburg Road & Woodlawn Avenue.

Why did they choose I-10 to shoot a music video?

According to the director, Jake Scott, the reason why they chose that stretch of I-10, was because they wanted to replicate the dream sequence used in the film, 8 1/2. They couldn't use the section in California because of the traffic, so they chose Texas. They got permission from the Texas Department of Transportation & the San Antonio City Council to shoot on the freeway (they used the bottom half, allowing the upper half for traffic to still use as normally). The shoot lasted about 3 days.

What song did REM film on I-10? & Why did they choose I-10?

If you remember the 1992 hit, "Everybody Hurts" from Automatic for the People, you might remember Michael Stipe & the band getting out of the car and holding up the traffic on the highway. THAT is the video they shot on I-10.

The video would go on to win many awards including Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography & Breakthrough Video at the MTV Awards in 1994.

Crazy thing is, there was ANOTHER film shoot happening around the same time

Not a music video, but for a Patrick Swayze film, Fatherhood. It wasn't on the same highway, but parts of the movie was filmed in San Antonio.

This wouldn't be the only time a music video was shot in Texas; you can see plenty shot in El Paso here.

EDIT: This story was originally published on April 27, 2023

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