The new "Summer Gods Tour" couldn't have come at a better time for Jimmy Eat World. The rock band co-headlines the trek with Third Eye Blind.
"Everything came together at the right time," says frontman-guitarist Jim Adkins. "We'd just got done making our new record, and this fell into our laps. We had the time open, and they asked us to come out. We thought it sounded amazing. It seemed like we would get done making the album and then tour right after that, so it was cool."
The tour, which also includes Ra Ra Riot, benefits from overlapping fanbases. But Adkins says there's still room to attract new listeners. Fans, he says, will "want to see something a little different from what (they) expect."
An upcoming album by Jimmy Eat World will follow "Integrity Blues" (2016), which included "Sure and Certain" and "Get Right." Since then, the band released "Love Never" and "half heart" in 2018.
Q _ What makes this tour a great summer package?
A _ The stage show is going to be intense. There's going to be explosions, fireworks, caged tigers, marching bands, and snake handling. I don't think any other summer tour has all that in one place. (He's joking _ we think.)
Q _ Had you toured with Third Eye Blind in the past?
A _ There's lots of mutual bands we both know, but for some reason, we've never done dates together. We were friends of friends. We don't know them personally. We may have done a festival or two and worked with some of the same crew members.
Our fans, Third Eye Blind fans, Ra Ra Riot fans are similar, but there's still room to get new people.
Q _ How did the "Summer Gods Tour" title come about?
A _ I just play guitar. I don't know where the name came from. But we were joking around, wondering which gods we're going to be.
Q _ Give some insight into the set list.
A _ We have nine albums' worth of material and 25 years of touring experience. We just try to do a big mix of things from each album that we think fans are going to want to hear and try to throw in a brand-new song.
Q _ What can you say about the upcoming album?
A _ I think it's a little more guitar-rock than "Integrity Blues." The songs are immediate and direct-feeling _ not a ton of time spent in scenic construction. It's more in-your-face.
