Pearl Jam Return To Top Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart For First Time Since 1998 With “Dark Matter”

Pearl Jam returns to No. 1 Advertising signMainstream Rock Airplay chart for the first time in 26 years and two weeks, with “Dark Matter” dominating the March 16 survey.

The song becomes Pearl Jam's first No. 1 on the chart since “Given To Fly” led for six weeks in January-February 1998.

This long hiatus between No. 1s is the longest in the 43-year history of the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The record was previously held by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who spent 20 years and 11 months between his six-week reign on 'Blue on Black' (credited to The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band) in 1998 and his Five Finger cover appearance Death Punch. of the song (with Brantley Gilbert and Brian May) in 2009.

When it comes to the distance between No. 1s by headline acts, the previous record held by Pearl Jam was The Offspring, through their nearly 18-year hiatus between 1997's “Gone Away” and 2015's “Coming for You.”

Pearl Jam now has a total of four Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1. In addition to “Given To Fly” and “Dark Matter,” “Daughter” reigned for eight weeks beginning in December 1993, and “Better Man” starred for eight frames beginning in January 1995. The ties of “Dark Matter” “Given To Fly” for the group's fastest flight to No. 1: four weeks each.

Between “Given To Fly” and “Dark Matter,” Pearl Jam scored 20 entries on the Mainstream Rock Airplay 20, pacing the No. 2s “World Wide Suicide” in 2006 and “Mind Your Manners” in 2013. From of these 20 tracks, 11 entered the top 10.

Meanwhile, “Dark Matter” sits high at No. 10 on Alternative Airplay and jumps 26-22 on Adult Alternative Airplay. On the audience-based all-rock Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, the song returns to No. 1 for a second week (following its March 2 survey top spot) with 6.9 million audience impressions, up 8%; March 1-7, according to Luminate.

On the most recently released Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated March 9), “Dark Matter” charted at No. 2. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 876,000 official US streams and sold 1,000 downloads on the 23-29 February.

“Dark Matter” is the lead single and title track from Pearl Jam's 12th studio album, out April 19.

All Advertising sign Charts dated March 16 will be updated on Billboard.com on Tuesday, March 12.