The veteran rock group, which just finished its run on the Unlimited Sunshine Tour--a multi-act run headed up by Cake--gets back to headlining its own shows beginning with a stop in British Columbia on Thursday (9/25). Subsequent U.S. dates currently stretch into early 2004.

Fans who can't catch the band in person can settle for its upcoming VH1 concert special, which premieres on Oct. 14, according to the group's website. Cheap Trick recorded the show during its Aug. 25 performance in Seattle.

The current road trip supports "Special One," Cheap Trick's first new studio set since its self-titled 1997 release. The new disc includes a limited-edition DVD that features videos for "Say Goodbye," "Woke Up with a Monster," "Hard to Tell," and "Hot Love," as well as a recording of the previously unreleased 1976 track "He's a Whore."

Recorded last year, "Special One" features several producers, including primary producer Chris Shaw (Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Super Furry Animals), along with Dan the Automator (Gorillaz), Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, John Lennon) and Steve Albini (Nirvana, Bush).

"This is probably the most musically diverse record we've ever recorded," Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander said in a statement. "We love all sorts of music and there is a little bit of everything on this record."

Cheap Trick-- Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson and drummer Bun E. Carlos--formed in the early '70s and released its self-titled debut album in 1977. The band's most commercially successful release is 1979's "Live at Budokan," which spawned the hit "I Want You to Want Me."