Next month My Chemical Romance will finally be hitting our shores after years of delays because of the dreaded ‘Rona! Coming along for the ride, is the one and only Jimmy Eat World! Ahead of what is going to be a mega tour, I was lucky enough to chat with Jimmy Eat World’s bassist, Mr Rick Burch about the false starts, Warped Tour memories and the 30th Anniversary of 'The MIddle'
Let's jump into it!
I first asked about the band's anticipations of being back in Australia, as it’s been 6 years since Jimmy Eat World were last here and playing shows.
We’re very excited for it! We had a tour lined up for 2020, and we know what happened there, the wheels fell off and we weren’t able to make it down. It couldn’t happen. So we’re very excited to finally have some solid dates on the calendar, and looking forward to being in front of Australian people again.
I then asked about the supporting slot for My Chemical Romance, and how it came to fruition. Was that something that they asked you guys, or did you hit them up and ask if you could come out with them?
They reached out to us and we were like uh YES! Then there was a couple of postponements and then this tour had a bit of a stutter start, but it’s totally solid that it’s happening this time and we couldn’t be more thrilled!
You’ve toured with them in the past, right?
We’ve shared the stage with My Chem, that’s how we met. When we were young musicians touring around, supporting our music, we shared a lot of gigs with a lot of bands and that’s how we met them. My Chemical Romance was gigging, and we’ve always kept up, and kept in touch and now we’re back on the stage with them again.
Was it Warped Tour (RIP Warped!) that you played together on?
Yeah, I think Warped Tour was the first time that we toured together, which was insane!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_lHvfYwpbU
I feel like Warped was such a great launching point for so many bands, and friendships. It’s always going to be something I’m upset that I missed out on.
The Madness of Warped Tour. You know, I’m sorry that you didn’t get to go! It was amazing, a lot of hard work. It’s a grind for a band, especially touring in a van. It’s a lot of miles in a short amount of time. It’s kind of fun, the concept of this, the performance times aren’t always set in stone, so you find out that morning when you’re playing. So, you have to be there because you might be one of the first bands up, and if you’re not there then you don’t get to play. Another fun aspect of it is that when it’s over you have a big barbecue and hang out with your friends and a few beers.
At least when you’re in Australia, you get to fly everywhere! So you don’t have to worry about not getting to play, or being late.
It’s a very different approach. A LOT of miles between the towns in Australia, so we go by airplane. With the My Chemical Romance tour it’s kinda cool, it’s two gigs per town, so you’re able to settle in and check out the city and see where you’re at.
Is there any Australian city you're most looking forward to?
All of them! It’s been so long, I just want to have a catch up and reacquaint myself with the wonderful cities of Australia.
Are there any songs that you’re most looking forward to playing?
I’m gonna say ‘The Middle’, because although it’s a song from very early on in our time as a band, we’ve been playing that song for many years, and just about every gig. The reason why we do that, is the faces light up, the energy bumps up, and it’s just a party and a great time. I’ll never grow weary of that.
Are there any My Chemical Romance songs that you’re looking forward to hearing the guys play live?
All of them. I’m just going to say all of them. It’s great that we are doing so many gigs, multiple gigs in each city, in that I’m hoping to see some variety in the setlist, you know? One night they play some things and the other night, they play some other things. I’m looking forward to variety.
Do you have a favourite My Chem song? I’ve been told that choosing a favourite song is akin to picking a favourite child.
No, they’re all my favourite. It’s like, it’s a difficult choice. It’s like picking a favourite child, but it’s also like, I’m not sure if you’ve experienced this, going into the library and you have a book in mind that you want to check out. So you take your time and go down there and when you see the stacks you completely forget why you’re there and what you’re after. A weird but beautiful scenario.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKsxPW6i3pM
You mentioned that ‘The Middle’was released a long time ago, I was 8 when that song and album [Bleed American] came out. I’m celebrating my 30th later this year, and the band is also celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year.
Yeah, that’s right. Happy Birthday to you, when it happens. 30 years…when ‘The Middle’ was written, we had no idea that we would still be a band, this much later. You know, after 30 years. We’re thrilled by that, and we’re definitely going to celebrate that in 2023 in some fashion. But we’re equally as excited by the new material that’s coming together. It’s a bit like, you have to look back and celebrate your past, but also we’re equally as excited about where we’re going and our future. Both are very exciting!
I feel like after 30 years of being a band, when you are playing shows you have people like me, who are in their late 20’s, early 30’s, then you’ve got people in their 40’s, and teenagers and a new generation of people discovering you.
That’s true! That’s the exciting thing about a Jimmy Eat World gig. You get to see fans that we met 20 years ago, and they were teenagers then and now they’re grown up with kids of their own and we get to meet their 7-year-old daughter that’s at her first gig. It’s an honour to witness that, it’s really cool.
I was listening to the new track from last year ‘Place Your Debts’ and I feel like it’s definitely got a foot in old Jimmy Eat World, but it’s also a different sound.
Yeah, I agree with that completely. It’s a side of Jimmy Eat World that’s always been there, but it’s, we’ve lived our lives and been a band, creating music for 30 years, I think ‘Place Your Debts’ is a good example of the maturity that’s happening with us as songwriters and performers. The soundscape is vast, and it’s a very immersive experience. It’s one side of the Jimmy Eat World coin or dice. Like another song that we did last year, ‘Something Loud’, it’s more of that youthful energy, hard-rocking party vibe. It’s exciting to have made those and shared them immediately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOWnhMxJMMk
I guess that’s the good thing about social media and streaming platforms, you can put things out instantaneously and know it’s in the world for people to listen to.
That’s right, and we realised that’s how we hear music, it’s just the nature of how it is now, so why not embrace it and go for it!
Interview by Kelsey Trevan @Kelsey_139
You can catch Jimmy Eat World on tour supporting My Chemical Romance this March in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
For complete tour and ticket information, visit: livenation.com.au
My Chemical Romance – East Coast Tour 2023
Support: Jimmy Eat World
March 13 @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre – NEW SHOW
March 14 @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre SOLD OUT
March 16 @ Rod Laver Arena, Melb – NEW SHOW
March 17 @ Rod Laver Arena, Melb SOLD OUT
March 19 @ QUDOS Bank Arena, Syd SOLD OUT
March 20 @ QUDOS Bank Arena, Syd – NEW SHOW
