PARAMORE’S “brand new eyes” DEBUTS AT #2 ON THE BILLBOARD 200, WITH HISTORY-MAKING FIRST-WEEK SALES; NORTH AMERICAN TREK GETS UNDERWAY THIS WEEK; EUROPEAN TOUR TO FOLLOW, INCLUDING SOLD-OUT HEADLINE DATE AT LONDON’S WEMBLEY ARENA; “IGNORANCE” REMAINS A TOP 10 ALTERNATIVE HIT
“brand new eyes,” the just-released third studio album from Fueled By Ramen recording group Paramore, has entered the SoundScan/Billboard 200 album chart at #2. With sales in excess of 175,000, the success of “brand new eyes” marks the biggest first-week sales in Fueled By Ramen’s history.
The stunning sales success of “brand new eyes” began last month with unprecedented pre-order numbers. Over 34,000 albums were sold in advance of its official release – the most successful album pre-order campaign in Fueled By Ramen label history.
“brand new eyes” is also proving a massive international hit, entering the album charts at #1 in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK as well as #2 in Mexico and #3 in Canada. The album’s chart-topping success isn’t the only evidence of Paramore’s increasing superstardom in the UK – over 40,000 tickets for their upcoming tour were sold in just one day, with the band’s first-ever headline date at London’s 12,500-capacity Wembley Arena, slated for December 18th, selling out in little more than eight hours.
“Ignorance,” the first single from “brand new eyes,” is currently a top 10 smash at Alternative Rock outlets nationwide. In addition, the track’s companion video is a multi-channel MTV smash, with major rotation play at MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Hits, and MTV.com. What’s more, “Ignorance” can also be seen on Yahoo! Music, MSN Music, and FUSE, which celebrated the release of “brand new eyes” with the broadcast premiere of Paramore’s RIAA gold-certified concert film, The Final RIOT!
Paramore heralded last week’s release of “brand new eyes” with an explosive live rendition of “Ignorance” on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. The Grammy-nominated band’s edition of MTV Unplugged also debuted, with additional airtimes slated throughout the month (check local listings). The stunning acoustic performance – filmed in New York City – can be viewed online at http://www.mtv.com/music/unplugged. In addition, two tracks from “brand new eyes” were prominently featured in the highly rated season premiere of MTV’s The Hills.
“Brick By Boring Brick,” the next single from “brand new eyes,” is shipping now to Alternative Rock outlets across the country. A companion video – directed by Meiert Avis (U2, New Found Glory, matchbox twenty) – will be shot this week in Los Angeles and will debut later this month.
Universally hailed as an electrifying live act, Paramore will embark on a major North American headline tour beginning Saturday, October 10th with a sold-out show at Chicago’s House of Blues. The Paramore tour – presented by paramore.net and fueled by Cisco Eos –kicked off earlier this month, but was delayed due to frontwoman Hayley Williams’ laryngitis. A number of dates, including shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, and St. Paul, have been rescheduled – see attached itinerary for details. Supporting Paramore on the predominantly sold-out trek will be Paper Route and fellow Fueled By Ramen band, The Swellers.
In an innovative move, the Paramore tour is being presented by paramore.net and fueled by Cisco Eos. The official home for all things Paramore – as well as the #1 most trafficked website across all Warner Music Group artists – www.paramore.net recently relaunched on the Cisco Eos platform. The site is garnering record-setting levels of visits, with close to 35,000 members now registered in its rapidly increasing community. Fans attending the upcoming tour are invited to participate in the new paramore.net Community Forums, where they can talk with other members about the show, post set lists, and upload their own unique concert videos and photos. Paramore.net also features an array of exclusive content, including in-studio videos, blogs, and photos, as well as ringtones for each track on “brand new eyes.”
Paramore will also headline MTV’s inaugural “Ulalume Music Festival,” a Halloween-themed extravaganza slated for October 23rd at Columbia, Maryland’s Meriwether Post Pavilion. Late November will then see the band crossing the Atlantic for a hugely anticipated European tour. The trek includes stops in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The tour will culminate with a series of dates in the United Kingdom, including the aforementioned sold-out show at London’s Wembley Arena on December 18th.
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Produced by Grammy Award-winner Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock, My Chemical Romance) and co-produced by the band, “brand new eyes” is the long-awaited follow-up to 2007’s RIAA platinum certified second album, “RIOT!” “brand new eyes” has quickly drawn rapturous critical praise from all corners, including an “A” graded rave in Entertainment Weekly, which hailed the “confident” collection as “the one rare punk album that’s not afraid to smile.” Billboard noted that the album marks Paramore’s “full-fledged introduction to rock’s elite class,” while MTV.com decreed the band to be the new “Kings and Queen of the South.” “More than just a punk-pop band,” declared USA Today, “Paramore is a band you can believe in.” The New York Times’ Jon Pareles praised “brand new eyes” for “broad(ening) the band’s dynamics without sacrificing momentum,” commending Paramore for “as skillfully as any band around, merging drive and detail.” Spin summed it up best, instantly naming “brand new eyes” to its “30 Best Albums of 2009…So Far” tally.
For up-to-the-minute news and information, please visit paramore.net, www.myspace.com/paramore, and fueledbyramen.com.
(TOUR ITINERARY ATTACHED)
PARAMORE
“The PARAMORE Tour” 2009
Featuring Special Guests: Paper Route and The Swellers
Presented By paramore.net & Fueled By Cisco Eos
OCTOBER
10 Chicago, IL House of Blues – SOLD OUT
11 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
15 Toronto, ONT Kool Haus – SOLD OUT
16 Montclair, NJ The Wellmont Theatre – SOLD OUT
17 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory – SOLD OUT
19 Boston, MA House of Blues – SOLD OUT
21 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom – SOLD OUT
23 Columbia, MD MTV Ulalume Festival @ Merriwether Post Pavilion
24 Norfolk, VA The Norva – SOLD OUT
26 Orlando, FL House of Blues – SOLD OUT
27 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
NOVEMBER
1 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium – SOLD OUT
3 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
4 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre
6 St. Paul, MN Roy Wilkins Auditorium
8 Denver, CO The Fillmore
10 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre – SOLD OUT
11 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium – SOLD OUT
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