R.E.M may be no strangers to festivals but don't expect to come across lead vocalist Michael Stipe in a tent in the future. 

The front man has revealed that a life-changing incident that happened to him when he was just 14 years old has more than discouraged his ambitions for the great outdoors. 

Speaking to the New York Post, Stipe revealed:

"I nearly died at 14,"

"I was a Boy Scout lost on top of a mountain. It was very cold, wet and horrific. My father thought I was dead."

"First stage of hypothermia is uncontrollable shivers, then, hallucinations. Then you fall asleep -- then you're gone. I had the first two stages."

He also admitted:

"When I got home I went inside and almost never came out,"

"I've since developed a fear of the outdoors."

Watch the band's live performance of 'Losing My Religion' below: