• by Karl Greenberg , July 12, 2012

Linkin Park and Incubus are on the road for this year's Honda Civic Tour, the 12th year that the Torrance, Calif.-based American Honda has run the alt-rock road show to get Civics near hipsters and give bands a big touring platform. Also on the bill is the band Mutemath.

The yearly event, which has become officially a tradition at Honda -- Incubus headlined the second Honda Civic Tour in 2002 -- gives big-name alternative (is that an oxymoron?) bands a stage, fans a nice discount on tickets, and Honda an audience for its vehicles. And it gets Honda Civic a wild paint job, since the multi-city marketing and branded-entertainment juggernaut also involves showing off Honda Civics that have been modified (or "mod"-ified) by band members. In each market Honda gives fans a chance to win the vehicles. 

For the first time in Civic Tour's history, the program makes the other vehicle the new Honda CBR250R motorcycle, a 250-cc sport bike that has the added safety feature of anti-lock braking. Linkin Park which customized and autographed the Honda Si Coupe and CBR250R motorcycle. The program also involves a promotional sweepstakes dangling a trip to Los Angeles that includes signed instruments and a visit to a Linkin Park music video shoot.

Entry is at www.HondaCivicTour.com, where attendees can also register to win the customized vehicles that are on display at each stop of the tour, kicking off Aug. 11 in Bristow, Va.

The "Linkin Park Civic Tour Fly-Away Sweepstakes" is being handled by Honda Financial Services. Specifics are round-trip airfare for two to Los Angeles, high-end accommodations for two nights, transportation; all taxes related to accommodations and air transportation. The winners get to meet the band, go to a video shoot and get one autographed guitar and practice amp and a five-piece starter drum kit signed by members of the band, plus shipping of the gear to the winner's residence. They also get a sightseeing tour and dinner for two in Hollywood. 

The tour will have support from a TV spot that was directed by Linkin Park DJ and programmer, Joe Hahn, who also directed most of the band's videos. The spot, filmed during the video shoot for the new single from Linkin Park's new album, also touts the album and the Civic Tour Web site.