If you are an emo music fan your collection is not complete without Jimmy Eat World's 1999 album Clarity. The band is celebrating the album's 10th anniversary with a ten-show tour that kicks off Feb. 23 in New York and concludes March 7 in Tempe, Arizona after making stops in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco and San Diego. Although Clarity debuted at No. 30 in Billboard's Heatseekers chart and only remained there for two weeks (signal Jimmy Eat World's departure from Capitol Records), the album has since become iconic for a new generation of rock fans, all of whom will be sure to help them celebrate on tour. For your chance to see the band, who has paved the way for acts like Dashboard Confessional and Yellowcard, try http://www.stubhub.com for Jimmy Eat World tickets. The 2009 tour will be supported by Reuben's Accomplice for the first seven shows and the final three dates will feature the reunited San Diego band No Knife as opener.
Jimmy Eat World formed in 1994 the Phoenix suburb of Mesa, AZ and was originally comprised of Jim Adkins (vocals, guitar), Zach Lind (drums), Tom Linton (guitar, vocals) and Mitch Porter (bass). Their quirky moniker comes from an argument between Linton's younger brothers, Jimmy and Ed, in which the usually-defeated Ed drew a picture of his beefy, victorious brother eating the world. In their first year Jimmy Eat World released several EPS and singles on local imprint Wooden Blue Records before scoring a contract with major-label Capitol. Porter exited the group, with Rick Burch stepping in to record Jimmy Eat World's major debut, 1996's Static Prevails. Three years, a switch to an emo sound, and the emergence of Adkins as lead singer later, the band released their ambitious sophomore album, Clarity. The album's initial popularity was marred by Capitol's unwillingness to promote the album due to the departure of label president Gary Gersh. Capitol refused to release the album but was forced to when "Lucky Denver Mint" and other singles became radio mainstays.
Tensions between Jimmy Eat World and Capitol ran high when the label refused to release their third LP, Jimmy Eat World, culminating in their departure. After experiencing success overseas, the band issued Bleed America (which was changed to an eponymous title after September 11) in 2001 and its singles "The Middle," "Sweetness" and "A Praise Chorus" propelled them into the big time. After a short stint at Dreamworks, Jimmy Eat World moved to Interscope for the 2004 release of their fifth album, Futures, which went gold on the strength of "Pain." Next up, Jimmy Eat World released the Stay on My Side EP followed by the LP Chase This Light, which featured vet producer Butch Vig (known for his work on legendary Nirvana album Nevermind and the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream. Chase the Light was released in 2007 on the heels of lead single "Big Casino." Hurry up and get your Jimmy Eat World tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/jimmy-eat-world-tickets/ to see the band celebrate their most cherished album live!