began Urban Hymns Tour

In August 1997, The Verve began playing their first gigs in two years, beginning the Urban Hymns Tour. The next single, ” The Drugs Don’t Work “, gave the band their first UK number one in September. Urban Hymns reached number one on the UK Albums Chart that month, knocking off Oasis’ highly anticipated album Be Here Now . The Verve saw an overwhelming increase in popularity overseas; it reached the US top 30, going platinum in the process, and “Bitter Sweet Symphony” reached number 12 on the US charts, their highest ever American position. Critic Mike Gee of iZINE said of this time that the Verve “had become the greatest band in the world. …The Verve were no longer the question mark or the cliché. They were the statement and the definition.” By November the band released ” Lucky Man ” in the UK and reached number 7. At the 1998 Brit Awards , The Verve won the awards for Best British Group and Best British Album ( Urban Hymns ). The band’s singles were given extensive airplay on US rock stations and Ashcroft, and bandmates, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in March 1998. Then, as the band was on a successful tour to promote the album, Jones collapsed on stage. At the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards , “Bitter Sweet Symphony” was nominated for Video of the Year , Best Group Video , and Best Alternative Video .