NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Honda Civic Tour) - Finally satisfying fevered fan anticipation, the Honda Civic Tour featuring Panic At The
Disco gets underway today. The band is now on the road in support of their sophomore release, Pretty. Odd. (Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen), which debuted at No 2 on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 album chart and No 1 on SoundScan's Current Alternative Albums chart.
The Honda Civic Tour (https://www.hondacivictour.com) kicks off with two sold-out shows at The Warfield in San Francisco (April 10 and 11) and will subsequently power through sold-out dates in San Diego (April 12), Austin (April 19), Orlando (April 24), New York (May 7), Toronto (May 14), Indianapolis (May 19), Detroit (May 20), Chicago (May 23) and St. Louis (May 30), among numerous other stops, before crossing the finish line June 14 at The Theatre at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. New dates have just been added, in Charlotte, N.C. (April 27 at Amos' Southend), and Grand Rapids, Mich. (May 21 at The Orbit Room). The Atlanta show, meanwhile, has been moved to a larger venue, Masquerade Music Park.
Motion City Soundtrack, The Hush Sound and Phantom Planet -- as well as the Honda Civic Hybrid customized and autographed by Panic At The Disco -- will serve as the tour's supporting attractions. The 2008 incarnation of the Honda Civic Tour is also notable for the expanded participation of Honda's operations in Canada, where the Honda Civic has been the top-selling car for a decade (and where Pretty. Odd. debuted at No 2). Canadian Honda Civic Tour dates include Montreal, May 13 at Metropolis; Toronto, May 14 at Sound Academy; and Vancouver, June 6 at PNE Forum.
Panic guitarist-songwriter Ryan Ross reflected on the tour's launch: "The Civic Tour is a super-big deal for us and we've been looking forward to it for a while. Plus, the band's totally excited to play the new songs for the fans. We know the energy at these shows is gonna be amazing. We can't wait to get onstage."
PATD enjoyed their best sales week ever following the March 25 release of Pretty. Odd., which racked up 139,000 albums sold, earning it a No 2 position on SoundScan's Digital Albums chart in addition to its Billboard 200 No 2 and SoundScan Current Alternative Albums No 1. First single "Nine in the Afternoon" is a Top 10 hit at Alternative radio outlets nationwide, with significant airplay logged at the Top 40, Hot AC and AAA formats as well.
The buzz surrounding Panic At The Disco is reflected in their appearance on the current cover of Alternative Press (May 2008 issue). The follow-up to PATD's platinum-certified debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out (2005), Pretty. Odd. is receiving acclaim from critics. SPIN gave it four stars, deeming the disc "blindingly bright" and "optimistically beautiful." Rolling Stone cited Panic's "broad sense of humor." And esteemed New York Times scribe Jon Pareles called Pretty. Odd. "the magnum opus of a talented band."
In 2006 the video for Panic At The Disco's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" was named Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. That clip was directed by Shane Drake, who returned to lense the "Nine in the Afternoon" video, which is No 3-most-played on MTV and No 10-most-played on MTV2 (No 1 on Fuse). Speaking of MTV love, this week's installment of "52 Bands/52 Weeks" will feature Panic At The Disco, and PATD recently wrapped a performance at MTV's Spring Break '08 that will be broadcast today on "TRL." The band received another small-screen boost when it appeared on "Saturday Night Live" April 5.
See Panic At The Disco live through June 14 on the Honda Civic Tour.
