Def Jam has announced an itinerary for Kanye West's Touch the Sky tour, and by the looks of it, the label's main hip-hop breadwinner doesn't favor arenas or theaters, as he'll perform in both on his trek.
"Performing live is the reason why we make this music, spend so much time and thought and craft on it," Kanye said in a statement. He's titled his outing after one of the songs on his Late Registration LP.
"It's never been about the critics or the album sales," he continued. "It's about the fans, and I love having the opportunity to bring this music -- that I've poured my heart and soul into -- to them. I think about how audiences are going to respond to hooks and intros and certain lines when I'm in the studio recording. Bringing these songs to the stage is the ultimate fulfillment of the creative process."
Not surprisingly, West has tapped his GOOD Music artist Common to appear as well as extended musical family member Keyshia Cole, who also sang during some of West's sets when he toured with Usher last year. "American Idol" winner Fantasia rounds out the bill.
Kanye's kickoff is right around the corner, on October 11 at the University of Miami's Convocation Center. From there, he's all over the place, not coming off the road until December 11. His last scheduled stop is at the GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Kanye West tour dates, according to his label:
10/11 - Miami, FL @ University of Miami Convocation Center 10/12 - Tampa, FL @ USF Sundome 10/13 - Gainesville, FL @ University of Florida O'Connell Center 10/15 - Greenville, SC @ Bi-Lo Center 10/16 - Knoxville, TN @ Thompson-Boling Arena 10/18 - Columbia, MO @ Mizzou Arena 10/19 - Champaign, IL @ Assembly Hall 10/21 - Buffalo, NY @ Alumni Arena 10/22 - Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre 10/23 - Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre 10/23 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center 10/26 - Kingston, RI @ University of Rhode Island Ryan Center 10/28 - University Park, PA @ Penn State Bryce Jordan Center 10/29 - Cleveland, OH @ CSU Convocation Center 10/30 - Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center 10/31 - Amherst, MA @ Mullins Center 11/2 - New York, NY @ Theatre at Madison Square Garden 11/3 - New York, NY @ Theatre at Madison Square Garden 11/4 - Baltimore, MD @ 1st Mariner Arena 11/5 - Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum 11/6 - Philadelphia, PA @ Liacouras Center 11/8 - Pittsburgh, PA @ AJ Palumbo Center 11/9 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre 11/11 - East Lansing, MI @ Michigan State University Breslin Center 11/12 - Chicago, IL @ Rosemont Theater 11/13 - Dekalb, IL @ NIU Convocation Center 11/13 - Minneapolis, MN @ Excel Center 11/14 - Evanston, IL @ Northwestern University (Welsh Ryan Arena) 11/15 - Carbondale, IL @ SIU Arena 11/17 - Atlanta, GA @ Gwinnett Center 11/18 - Greensboro, NC @ Coliseum 11/19 - Statesboro, GA @ Georgia Southern University 11/20 - Birmingham, AL @ Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center 11/22 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Ford Center 11/23 - Memphis, TN @ Mid-South Coliseum 11/25 - Houston, TX @ Reliant Arena 11/26 - Dallas, TX @ Nokia Live 11/27 - Kansas City, MO @ Kemper Arena 11/29 - Denver, CO @ Magness Arena or Colorado Convention Center Lecture Hall 12/1 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre 12/2 - San Diego, CA @ Cox Arena or UCSD RIMAC Arena 12/3 - Universal City, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre 12/4 - Universal City, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre 12/6 - San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 12/7 - Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay or Aladdin 12/9 - Portland, OR @ Memorial Coliseum 12/10 - Seattle, WA @ Everett Event Center 12/11 - Vancouver, BC @ GM Place For more on Kanye, check out the feature "All Eyes on Kanye West."
