Remember R.E.M. and U2's first tour of the country? Probably not. Few people turned out for their performances. They played to half-empty crowds in dingy bars and no one really noticed.

Now that they're both mega-type superstars, everyone claims to have seen them in the early days. It's tough to know whether these people actually saw those shows, but plenty brag about it. It's like being "hip" before everyone else catches on.

Those who were around and didn't catch these acts before they made it to the stadiums are probably kicking themselves. There could be, however, an opportunity for redemption.

There won't be any spinning hot wax for your dancin' pleasure tonight at Mr. C's. Instead, the 21 and older crowd can get an earful of blues and reggae in a benefit jam for the 1990 Interfraternity / Panhellenic Council Dance Marathon featuring Blues Traveler and Bankie Banx.

Blues Traveler is a blues outfit that injects a heavy dose of rock 'n' roll energy and psychedelic frenzy into its soulful sound. The mix has the markings of something that could soon catch fire, and the fact that legendary manager Bill Graham has snatched them up adds some merit to the band's status.

Traveler was originally spotted by Graham's son, David, who stumbled upon the band at a fraternity party. The elder Graham liked Traveler so much that he enlisted the band into his force of artists that includes such heavy-hitters as Tracy Chapman and Jefferson Airplane.

David explained that the band's sound is hard to pigeonhole.

"Man, I don't know how to label them, they just get up on stage and go crazy," David said.

The Brooklyn-based band has recently opened for the Neville Brothers in New York and Lynyrd Skynyrd in California. The band also played last October at the Housing Now march in Washington, D. C. There, the Traveler opened for Tracy Chapman and the reformed Jefferson Airplane.

More recently the band has been in New York working on its debut album, which will be released by A & M records.

With the Blues Traveler will be Bankie Banx, a reggae veteran who has been spreading the uplifting message of Jah for nearly 14 years.

A native of the Caribbean, Banx has logged four albums since he began performing, three of them on Redemption Records and his latest on the Vibes label. All four have hit the charts in the Caribbean. Banx has also played twice -- in 1983 and in 1986 -- in the Montego Bay Reggae Sunsplash, the most widely-known reggae festival.

The show starts at 7:30 tonight. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at HiFi House, Hotel State College, room 310 in the HUB or at Mr.C's. Ticket price includes a T-shirt and gift certificates redeemable at local stores.