“The Within Arm’s Reach tour means the audience and the band literally get within arm’s reach of each other,” lead singer Stephen Jenkins said. “Music sounds different when everyone is bumping into each other. It’s messy and it’s exciting and that’s how we’re going to introduce this new album to people.”

Of course, it helps that the band has chosen smaller, intimate venues in which to showcase their new album. On the tour, Third Eye Blind will be playing to venues ranging from 600 to 2,000 in capacity.

“We’ve spent the last couple of years soul searching, getting to the nitty-gritty,” Jenkins said. That attitude helped pave the way for this new tour.

“Pave the way” also applies to the band’s method of ticket sales. They’re the first major label group to choose Internet auction Web site eBay as the ticket outlet. Normally, only scalped tickets end up on the site.

Already in progress, the auction features tickets on sale for seats in any venue on the tour. Bids start at $1 and the bidding wars begin after that. A quick look at the Web site shows bids as high as $100 already for two VIP passes.

Many of the tickets also come with a bonus signed poster from the band. But maybe the even bigger bonus is that there are no service charges.

Third Eye Blind’s newest record, Out Of The Vein, is due out May 13.