Sleater-Kinney [ tickets ], Sparta [ tickets ], Idlewild [ tickets ] and the Buzzcocks [ tickets ] have been tapped to open various dates on Pearl Jam [ tickets ]'s upcoming North American tour.

Pearl Jam's North American tour, which gets underway in April, will visit about 50 cities.

Portland, Ore.-based indie-rockers Sleater-Kinney will open the first batch of dates, taking a slot on the bill from April 1 through April 16. The trio is currently touring behind its 2002 album "One Beat."

Texas-based emo band Sparta, which is on the bill of this year's SnoCore tour, takes over the opening slot from April 18 through May 3.

Idlewild has been selected to open from May 28 through June 19. The Scottish quartet's latest album, "The Remote Part," was released in the U.K. late last year.

The Buzzcocks will open from June 21 through July 5. The punk group, which issued its first album more than 20 years ago, will release a self-titled studio effort on March 18.

Opening acts for Pearl Jam's July 8 and 9 shows at New York's Madison Square Garden haven't been announced.

Meanwhile, some additional information has surfaced about the new series of "bootleg" discs to be issued in connection with the tour. According to Epic Records, the band will release an official recording of each show on its world tour. (Previously, only recordings of the band's tour of Japan and Australia were confirmed.) The CDs will initially be made available only via the Internet.