Coldplay Sets Dates for Extensive Viva La Vida Tour

Ray Waddell, Nashville

Coldplay's Viva La Vida world tour -- which will land in North America, Europe and Japan -- is set to begin at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center on June 29 and extend well into next year, Billboard.com can reveal.Save for the Pemberton Festival in Vancouver on July 27, Coldplay will play arenas in North America, the U.K. and Europe on the tour's first leg. Some North American dates will go on sale May 16-17, but the majority go up June 14, the weekend before "Viva La Vida" is released. Ticket info will be available at http://www.coldplay.com/.As previously reported, Coldplay will play free concerts in London (June 16 at the Brixton Academy) and New York (June 23 at Madison Square Garden). Information on how to win tickets to these shows will be available at the band's website beginning today (May 9). The contest runs through June 1 and winners will receive notification on June 5.Roughly 50 shows are planned for North America, followed by Europe and the U.K. Coldplay will also headline the Summer Sonic festival Aug. 9-10 in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. About 90 dates total are expected for this year. More shows are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. "Last time we ended up doing 150 shows; we’ll probably end up roughly the same," Coldplay manager Dave Holmes tells Billboard.com.Live Nation will promote shows in Europe and North America, with U.K. dates promoted by SJM. Lighting and set design for the tour are by Paul Normandale and features "lots of projection," Dave Holmes says. "It will really blow people away."

Ticket prices are still being determined, but a three-tiered pricing strategy is likely, with prices roughly in the $50, $65 and $85 range. "You're not going to see us coming out with $125-$150 tickets," Holmes says.

Here are the confirmed North American dates for Coldplay's Viva La Vida Tour:

June 29: Philadelphia, PA; Wachovia Center
July 2: Washington, DC; Verizon Center
July 3: Hartford, CT (XL Center)
July 5: Detroit, MI (The Palace of Auburn Hills)
July 6: Cleveland, OH (Quicken Loans Arena)
July 8: St. Paul, MN (Xcel Energy Center)
July 9: Kansas City, MO (Sprint Center)
July 10: Oklahoma City, OK (Ford Center)
July 12: Phoenix, AZ (Jobbing.com Arena)
July 19: Las Vegas, NV (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
July 21: Sacramento, CA (ARCO Arena)
July 24: San Jose, CA (HP Pavilion)
July 27: Pemberton, BC (Pemberton Festival)
July 29: Edmonton, AB (Rexall Place)
July 30: Calgary, AB (Pengrowth Saddledome)
August 1: Winnipeg, MB (MTS Centre)
August 3: Omaha, NE (Qwest Center)
August 4: Chicago, IL (United Center)
October 20: Montreal, QC (Bell Centre)
October 21: Ottawa, ON, (Scotiabank Place)
October 26: East Rutherford, NJ (Izod Center)
October 29: Toronto, ON (Air Canada Centre)
October 30: Toronto, ON (Air Canada Centre)
November 3: Boston, MA (TD Banknorth Garden)
November 11: Atlanta, GA (Philips Arena)
November 18: Houston, TX (Toyota Center)
November 19: Dallas, TX (American Airlines Center)
November 21: Denver, CO (Pepsi Center Arena)
November 22: Salt Lake City, UT (Energy Solutions Arena)