Dylan hires edgy rockers to open fall tour

NEW YORK (Billboard) -

Bob Dylan has drafted Kings of Leon, the Foo Fighters and the Raconteurs to support him on his fall tour of North America, which begins October 11 in Vancouver, B.C.

Kings Of Leon will open the first portion, while the Foo Fighters will reprise their acoustic setup for the middle segment, beginning October 29. The Raconteurs will jump aboard for the last third of the tour, from November 9 through November 18.

Dylan will be promoting his new album, "Modern Times," due August 29 via Columbia. Digital retailer iTunes and Ticketmaster have teamed for a promotion linking the album preorder with the fall tour. Pre-order participants will receive a code for a Ticketmaster pre-sale on August 30, giving them a week-plus jump on the September 9 general public onsale.

Before the Dylan dates, Kings Of Leon will play a month's worth of their own dates, beginning September 6 in Kansas City, Mo. After the Dylan swing, the band will head to Australia for a host of support slots with Pearl Jam. Kings Of Leon's third album, "Because of the Times," is expected in February or March via RCA.

The Foo Fighters are winding down their headlining acoustic dates, which will close out September 2 in Santa Barbara, Calif. As for the Raconteurs, they recently shot a video for the track "Hands" in Oslo, in which band members play delinquents escaping from a youth detention center.

Here are Bob Dylan's tour dates:

October 11: Vancouver (Pacific Coliseum; with Kings of Leon)

October 13: Seattle (Key Arena)

October 14: Portland, Ore. (Memorial Coliseum)

October 16-17: San Francisco (Bill Graham Civic)

October 18: Sacramento, Calif. (ARCO Arena)

October 20: Los Angeles (The Forum)

October 22: San Diego (Cox Arena)

October 24: Denver (Fillmore)

October 25: Lincoln, Neb. (Pershing Auditorium)

October 27-28: Chicago (Sears Center)

October 29: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center; with Foo Fighters)

October 31: Madison, Wis. (Kohl Center)

November 2: Detroit (Palace of Auburn Hills)

November 3: London, Ontario (John Labatt Center)

November 5: Ottawa, Ontario (Scotiabank Place)

November 7: Toronto (Air Canada Center)

November 8: Montreal (Bell Center)

November 9: Portland, Maine (Cumberland County Civic Center; with Raconteurs)

November 11-12: Boston (Agganis Arena)

November 13: Uniondale, N.Y. (Nassau Coliseum)

November 15: Amherst, Mass. (Univ. of MA Mullins Center)

November 16: East Rutherford, N.J. (Continental Airlines Arena)

November 17: Fairfax, Va. (Patriot Center)

November 18: Philadelphia (Wachovia Spectrum)

Reuters/Billboard