Following this year's Farm Aid festival, John Mellencamp [ tickets ] will embark on an arena tour that will pass through 10 states across America's heartland.

The first leg of the outing kicks off Oct. 26 in Terre Haute, IN, and stretches through mid-November. The itinerary is listed below.

Fan club members will have access to tickets beginning Thursday (8/30). Details are available at Mellencamp's website.

Before the singer settles into his tour bus, he'll perform Sept. 6 at Indianapolis' RCA Dome to celebrate the NFL's season-opening game between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. That performance will be televised by NBC as part of the network's pre-game special.

Mellencamp will then jet to New York City Sept. 9 for the star-studded Farm Aid 2007: A Home Grown Festival. The Grammy-winning singer co-founded Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young to help support family farmers.

On tour, Mellencamp and his band--guitarists Mike Wanchic and Andy York, drummer Dane Clark, bassist John Gunnell, violinist Miriam Sturm and keyboardist Troye Kinnett--are expected to dig deep into the singer/songwriter's repertoire and preview music from a new album they're working on.

Recently, the musicians have been in Mellencamp's studio near Bloomington, IN, recording new material with noted producer T Bone Burnett. The forthcoming set will be Mellencamp's 22nd career album.

In January, the roots rocker released "Freedom's Road," his first album of original material since 2001's "Cuttin' Heads." The politically charged record peaked at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 and spawned crossover hits "Our Country" and "The Americans."

Mellencamp also recorded a solo acoustic version of "This Land is Your Land" for the "Song of America" compilation CD, which is due Sept. 18. That tune is streaming at his MySpace page

In related news, the star's life story will be told in the book "Born In A Small Town: The John Mellencamp [ tickets ] Story," which is due to hit shelves Nov. 1. Though the Heather Johnson-penned biography is unauthorized, it is being promoted at Mellencamp's website.