Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins is looking back on the milestone of their iconic album, “Bleed American,” as the band prepares for its 25th anniversary tour. The album, released in 2001, features the hit song “A Praise Chorus,” where Adkins sings, “Even at 25, you got to start sometime.” Now, 25 years later, he reflects on how wild it feels to celebrate this record.
“When we made ‘Bleed American,’ we had little expectations for what would happen,” Adkins shares. “When things took off, it felt unreal. It was hard to process in our 20s.” The anniversary tour kicks off on Tuesday at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, and Adkins is excited to embrace the love for “Bleed American.”
He believes that he and his bandmates have improved as musicians over the years. “I feel like we’re better performers and players now,” he says. “We can present this material in a way that’s probably the best we’ve ever done.”
In addition to “A Praise Chorus,” the album includes fan favorites like “The Middle,” “Sweetness,” and the title track. These songs have been mainstays in their live shows. Recently, Adkins revisited the original multitrack tapes of the album, which reminded him of the band’s beginnings. “The original recipe is laid bare there,” he explains. “Some of it isn’t what I remember.”
Digging into the record has given the band a fresh perspective on their work, something they haven’t done in a long time.
