February and March 2004, Ash embarked on a tour of Europe and then a club tour of the UK. The following month, the band appeared at the Skate and Surf Festival, and headlined BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. On 2 May, the band headlined one of the stages at the Coachella Festival. In May and June, Ash went on another UK tour with support from Saves the Day and The Crimea. In August, the band appeared at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, and in October and November, they again toured Europe. Ash supported the Darkness' arena tour in December. At the start of 2005, Ash toured Japan, and in March and April that year, they embarked on a headlining US tour with support from the Bravery. While touring the US in June, the band were travelling to San Francisco when their bus caught fire; while they waited on the roadside for a new bus, the band received a call telling them the replacement bus had also caught fire. Ash drove themselves to a show in a van and borrowed equipment from The Bravery. In July, the band supported U2 for three shows in Europe. ReceptionMeltdown received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 78 based on 16 reviews. AllMusic reviewer Jason Damas wrote Meltdown is "burst[ing] with the hooks and little musical flourishes that have made the more mature Ash records such a treat" with minimal "meandering malaise" that plagues the band's second album, Nu-Clear Sounds (1998). He added it is a "surprisingly strong and assured record" that would enhance the band's legacy. Yahoo! Launch writer Emma Morgan said the album "sounds exactly like what it is – a post-pubescent take" on the band's debut studio album 1977 (1996). She also called the album a "sturdy, well-written and ... mature addition to Ash's enduring and near-essential canon". JR of IGN said Meltdown is "every bit as good as you'd hoped it would be", providing "on enough levels to accept the invitation into your stereo ... and your brain". Drowned in Sound founder Sean Adams called it a "combo of Ash of all ages ... This is the kinda rock record us malnourished Brits can be proud of. It's Ash being Ash". Andrew Unterberger of Stylus Magazine said the album's metal influence delivers "enough to give the album a bit of personality and