PHILADELPHIA, PA. (Top40 Charts/ Comcast) - Comcast is providing exclusive, advance access to live performances from Green Day's first new album in nearly five years, '21st Century Breakdown' due out on Reprise Records on Friday, May 15th, as well as more than 30 of the band's videos and concerts in HD, the company announced today. Comcast Corporation, (Nasdaq:CMCSA, CMCSK), the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications, is providing this one-of-a-kind HD collection, including 10 live songs from a recently recorded concert at Oakland's Fox Theater - in HD - along with the music video for the album's first single, 'Know Your Enemy,' starting May 7, On Demand and on comcast.net/greenday. Comcast also has created a breakthrough television ad featuring the band performing the new single.
"Comcast is debuting an exclusive collection of 30 Green Day videos, plus live performances of nine songs from the band's yet unreleased new album, all in crystal-clear HD," said Derek Harrar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video Services for Comcast. 'If you like music and you like HD, Comcast is a must have.'
"The Comcast On Demand service brings people who weren't able to attend the Fox Theatre show right to the performance, allowing us another way to connect with our fans," says Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. "The technology is amazing - now people can watch this performance, as well as 30 of our videos whenever they want either on TV or on the web."
As part of this partnership, these brand new videos of live performances from a soon-to-be-legendary Green Day concert, which David Fricke of Rolling Stone described as a 'stunning' performance of music from 'Green Day's best album,' the upcoming '21st Century Breakdown,' two videos will debut On Demand every week for five weeks. Comcast will make this content, including an exclusive interview with the band discussing the making of the new album, available On Demand under 'Top Picks,' under 'Green Day HD' and on comcast.net/greenday. With 50-60 million music videos watched every month, music continues to be one of the most popular categories of On Demand programming and Comcast offers everything from videos to live performances across a wide range of music genres.
Comcast's Green Day partnership, blockbuster movies, new television series and other new viewing choices are part of the company's commitment to deliver exponentially more quality content choice on TV, including more HD, sports, movies, kids' programs and network TV shows. On Demand currently offers customers thousands of kids and family entertainment choices among the more than 10,000 programs available throughout the course of a month, including more than 1,000 choices in HD available at any time. Currently, Comcast customers view more than 300 million On Demand programs a month.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq:CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 24.1 million cable customers, 15.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and 6.8 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.
About Green Day
Green Day - vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool - were loud, snotty, scrappy kids from working-class backgrounds who came of age in the underground punk scene in Berkeley, California. Even though they had released two records prior (1039 / Smooth Out Slappy Hours and Kerplunk), they announced their arrival with 1994's Dookie, a dynamic blast of exuberant three-chord punk-pop that spoke to bored teenagers everywhere. The album eventually sold 15 million copies worldwide, earned the band their first Grammy Award and inspired a raft of imitators.
Over the years, Green Day continued to top the charts with their subsequent studio albums Insomniac, Nimrod, and Warning while entertaining millions of fans with their frenetic live shows. But it was their landmark 2004 album American Idiot that launched Green Day into the stratosphere. An artistic leap forward, American Idiot is a punk rock opera and sarcastic middle-finger salute to the Administration that captured the cultural and political landscape at that time. "Jesus of Suburbia" set the tone by telling a tale of choosing between self-destruction and redemption that resonated with listeners of all ages, nationalities, and political persuasions. American Idiot debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and went on to sell more than five million copies in the U.S. and 12 million worldwide. It spawned five hit singles, earned seven Grammy nominations (winning two including Rock Album of the Year) and raised the bar for modern rock and roll.
On Friday, May 15, 2009, Green Day will release 21st Century Breakdown and launch a world tour soon after.
