BURBANK, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Warner Bros Records) -
R.E.M. have reclaimed their place as one of the world's favorite rock bands with the release of their hard-charging new album "Accelerate," which topped the Alternative, Rock,
Digital and
Internet (physical goods) Charts in the U.S. this week. The band is also No. 1 on the AAA
Radio Chart with their first single, "Supernatural Superserious." With sales of 115,458 units, "
Accelerate" also debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart - the band's highest first-week chart position since the No. 2 debut of 1996's "New Adventures in Hi-Fi."
Released by Warner Bros. Records on April 1st, "Accelerate" is also a hit around the world, with No. 1 debuts in Canada, Ireland (where part of the album was recorded), Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the U.K., as well as Top 5 debuts in Austria (No 2), Germany (No 2), Holland (No 2) and Italy (No 2).
The album's impressive U.S. chart showing is due in part to several high-profile TV appearances that singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, and bassist Mike Mills made last week, including a performance of three songs on "The Today Show" (www.todayshow.com), interviews with "CBS Sunday Morning" (www.cbsnews.com), and nationally syndicated radio show Rockline and a memorable interview and performance on "The Colbert Report" - the first time, Stephen Colbert noted, that a rock band has ever played on the show (www.colbertnation.com).
Sales of "Accelerate" were also no doubt fueled by the strong advance reviews the album received from critics. It has been called "a classic blast of rock and roll from a band at a new peak of its powers" by Rolling Stone, "a breathless tumble of hooks and harmonies" by the New York Times, and proof that "amplified, guitar-based songs can bring people together and even form the basis for a larger life," by the Los Angeles Times. Entertainment Weekly raved: "Damn if 'Accelerate' doesn't live up to its pedal-to-the-metal title!" The band also appears on the cover of Spin magazine's April issue.
Additionally, at the 2007 South By Southwest Music Festival, R.E.M. took to the airwaves completing several interviews with various formats of radio stations across the country, including extensive interviews on NPR's Morning Edition, Fresh Air and NPR.org with a live broadcast of their Stubbs BBQ performance (www.npr.org). They also shot an episode of the PBS' legendary Austin City Limits that will air later this spring and simultaneously prepared their "take over" of Sirius Satellite Radio for the week of release with R.E.M. Radio, a channel hosted exclusively by band members Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills that featured insights from the band on the inspiration for each song on "Accelerate." As an April Fools Day joke, R.E.M. "interrupted" six channels on XM Radio throughout the day with various interviews and performances from "R.E.M. Offsite," a one-hour special that debuted on XM on April 6th.
Finally, fan excitement about the album's release mounted as R.E.M. and its team launched a series of online promotions leading up to April 1st, including four brand-new websites, geared toward generating awareness of "Accelerate" and creating an interactive experience for fans. Additionally, "Accelerate" made its online debut exclusively via social music discovery service iLike, which has been streaming the album in its entirety since March 24th.
"Accelerate" was recorded in Vancouver, Dublin, and Athens, GA, last spring with Grammy Award winning-producer Jacknife Lee, who is noted for his work with U2 ("How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb"), as well as Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, and Kasabian.
R.E.M. will tour North America in May and June with opening acts Modest Mouse and The National before launching an extensive European tour in July. Please see below for all tour dates and visit www.remhq.com for all the latest news about the band.
R.E.M. 2008 World Tour dates:
May
23 Vancouver, B.C. Deer Lake Park
29 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
31 Berkeley, CA The Greek Theatre
June
01 Berkeley, CA The Greek Theatre
03 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
06 Chicago, IL United Center
08 Toronto, ONT Molson Amphitheatre
10 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
11 Washington, DC Merriweather Post Pavilion
13 Boston, MA Tweeter Center
14 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Theater
18 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center
19 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
21 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheatre
July
02 Amsterdam, Netherlands Westerpark
03 Werchter, Belgium Werchter Festival
05 Bilbao, Spain Bilbao Festival
06 Castello D'Empuries, Spain Doctor Loft 05.00 Festival
08 Lyon, France Le Nuits de Fourvieres
09 Nice, France Theatre De Verdure
12 Dublin, Ireland Oxygen Festival
13 Balado, U.K. T in the Park
15 Dresden, Germany Elbufer
16 Berlin, Germany Waldbuhne
18 Locarno, Switzerland Moon and Stars, City Square
20 Perugia, Italy Umbria Jazz Festival
21 Verona, Italy Arena
23 Naples, Italy Neapolis Rock Festival
24 Udine, Italy Villa Manin
26 Milan, Italy Arena Civica
August
14 Salzburg, Austria Frequency Festival
16 Budapest, Hungary Sziget Festival
17 Prague, Czech Republic Slavia Stadium
19 Stuttgart, Germany Ehrenhof
20 Rhine, Germany Loreley
22 Wurzburg, Germany Marienfeste
24 Manchester, U.K. L.C.C.C
25 Cardiff, Wales Millennium Stadium
27 Southampton, U.K. Rosebowl
30 London, U.K. Twickenham
September
03 Oslo, Norway Ullevaal Stadium
04 Bergen, Norway Koengen Stadium
06 Cophenhagen, Denmark Parken Stadium
07 Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm Stadion
09 Helsinki, Finland Finnair Stadium
