Payable On Death, the newest album from Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum rock group P.O.D., has just been certified Gold by the RIAA after only four weeks on the album charts. Debuting at No. 9 on the Billboard album charts on November 4, the album has been bolstered by eight weeks of chart-topping airplay for their first single, “Will You,” and a #1 MTV TRL video.
Ironically, as Payable On Death achieves Gold status, P.O.D. finds itself banned from Christian bookstores. Around 85 percent of Christian bookstores across the country will not allow kids to buy the new record in their stores because of its artwork, which depicts a naked woman with butterfly wings, her arms crossed over her breasts and a banner with the word “Sanctus” across her body.
Daniel Martin Diaz, the artist who painted the cover and designed the packaging for Payable On Death said in a statement to the press, “It’s quite ironic that throughout my art career I have been censored by a reputable art publication and denied inclusion into art exhibitions because my work is too religious” artist Daniel Martin Diaz tells Undercover News. “Now my work is being censored by religious outlets, some folks need to enlighten themselves with art history.”
The bookstores have not made a formal statement as to why they are refusing to carry the record. “This is sad, not because P.O.D. need to be carried in those stores, but because for thousands of years the church led the world in great art and music,” the band said in a statement on its Web site.
Moving into 2004, P.O.D. are set to head out on the top rock tour of 2004 with Linkin Park. Starting January 16th in Fairfax, VA, the tour will run through March playing 34 major market arenas in cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas.
From their humble beginnings in a Chula Vista garage, to the international success of 2001’s hugely successful Satellite, P.O.D. has established themselves as one of the most important career artists of the modern era. Combining positive messages with furious, genre-blurring rock ‘n’ roll, P.O.D. has reaped critical praise and an ever-increasing audience since the release of 1999’s RIAA platinum-certified Atlantic debut, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown. The band has also unleashed a remarkable streak of radio and video hits, including “Southtown,” “Rock The Party (Off The Hook),” “School Of Hard Knocks,” “Boom,” and the Grammy Award-nominated smashes, “Alive” and “Youth Of The Nation.” Earlier this summer, P.O.D. scored yet again with “Sleeping Awake,” the lead single from the soundtrack to The Matrix: Reloaded.
P.O.D. is – Sonny: lead vocals; Wuv: drums, vocals; Traa: bass, vocals; Truby: guitars, vocals.
Tour Dates With Linkin Park:
- 1/16/03 – Fairfax, VA – Patriot Center
- 1/17/03 – Worcester, MA – Centrum
- 1/18/03 – Uniondale, NY – Nassau Coliseum
- 1/20/03 – Philadelphia, PA – Wachovia Spectrum
- 1/21/03 – Cleveland, OH – Csu Convocation Ctr.
- 1/23/03 – Montreal, QUE – Bell Centre
- 1/24/03 – Toronto, ONT – Air Canada Center
- 1/25/03 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
- 1/27/03 – Detroit, MI – The Palace
- 1/29/03 – Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena
- 1/30/03 – Madison, WI – Alliant Energy Center
- 1/31/03 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Center
- 2/2/03 – Colorado Springs, CO – World Ice Arena
- 2/6/03 – Los Angeles, CA – TBA
- 2/10/03 – Salt Lake City, UT – E-Center
- 2/12/03 – Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum
- 2/13/03 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
- 2/14/03 – Portland, OR – Memorial Coliseum
- 2/16/03 – San Jose, CA – Cox Arena
- 2/18/03 – Sacramento, CA – Arco Arena
- 2/20/03 – Las Vegas, NV – Thomas & Mack
- 2/22/03 – Oklahoma City, OK – Lloyd Noble Center
- 2/23/03 – Dallas, TX – Tba
- 2/25/03 – San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum
- 2/26/03 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
- 2/27/03 – Little Rock, AK – Altell Arena
- 2/29/03 – Nashville, TN – Gaylord
- 3/1/03 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
- 3/2/03 – Atlanta, GA – Gwinett Center
- 3/4/03 – Sunrise, FL – Office Depot Center
- 3/5/03 – Tampa, FL – USF Sundome
- 3/6/03 – Pensacola, FL – Civic Center
