Gym Class Heroes Announce Fall Tour, Prepare for Summer Sonic Festival

GymClassHeroes.comGym Class Heroes have had a pretty great 12 months, thanks to the string of hits they've had from their album The Papercut Chronicles II.  Now, they've announced a headlining tour for the fall.

The trek, dubbed the Great Pumpkin Smashing Tour, kicks off October 18 in Chicago, and it finds the band playing in intimate venues; it wraps up October 30 in Philadelphia.

Gym Class Heroes are currently in Asia; they'll perform in the Philippines on Thursday, and then head to Japan for the massive Summer Sonic Festival, where they'll be sharing the bill with acts like Gotye, Rihanna, Ke$ha, Pitbull, Green Day, Calvin Harris, Adam Lambert, Foster the People and more.  But the group says it still amazes them that they can travel to somewhere like Asia and see fans singing along with every word of their songs, even though they don't speak English.

"The first time, we went to Japan, and kids were singing back to us, it was awesome," recalls lead singer Travie McCoy. "Then after the show, you go to speak with them and just mingle with them and no one speaks English!  And you're like 'You were just singing every single word!'  But you can't knock the fact that you're connecting with someone on some wavelength, you know."

Drummer Matt McGinley agrees, saying, "It's crazy to even think that music is so powerful that it transcends language barriers."

Gym Class is looking forward to playing the Summer Sonic festival as well, simply because festivals are a chance for them to check out all the other acts.  "After our commitments are done, we get to be fans for the rest of the day," explains Travie.  "When we do these huge festivals like Summer Sonic, you know, we got to see so many amazing, amazing acts.  So, I'm definitely looking forward to Summer Sonic for that fact." 

In other Gym Class news, their single "The Fighter," which was heard during NBC's Olympics coverage, is nearing platinum status.  The video for the track is up for an MTV VMA in the category of Best Video with a Message.  

Here are Gym Class Heroes' fall tour dates:

10/18 -- Chicago, IL, Bottom Lounge
10/19 -- Pittsburgh, PA, Mr. Smalls
10/21 -- Detroit, MI, The Magic Stick
10/22 -- Toronto, ON, Mod Club
10/23 -- Buffalo, NY, Infinity
10/25 -- Baltimore, MD, Ottobar
10/29 -- Cambridge, MA, Middle East
10/30 -- Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer

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