Todd Rundgren [ tickets ] has launched a U.S. tour behind his recently released album, "Liars," and is using the run as a proving ground for some new technology.

Rundgren, who kicked off the 40-plus-date outing in Milwaukee on Thursday night (4/8), has confirmed dates through May 23; additional shows will be added, and will extend the run until June 9, according to a press release.

Backing Rundgren on the tour are Jesse Gress (guitar), John Ferenzik (keyboards), Kasim Sulton (bass, formerly of Rundgren's group Utopia) and Prairie Prince (drums, of The Tubes and Jefferson Starship).

Rundgren--who has a long history of incorporating cutting-edge technology in his musical endeavors--is using this tour to show off "a revolutionary LED lighting system and an amplifier free sound system that uses digital modeling to emulate the sounds of traditional amps," according to a press release.

Eric Gardner, Rundgren's manager, said in a statement that a major benefit of the LED lighting is that it doesn't emit heat.

"When thousands of LED lights are together in an array, they can literally be a foot above the performer's head onstage, which you can never do with a conventional light," Gardner said.

"Every member will perform from inside a high-intensity light chamber, and the set should resemble a bombed-out cathedral," Rundgren added. "That's the general milieu."

Rundgren said that he and his band will also use computer hardware and software in lieu of more bulky amplification gear normally used onstage.

"The Tablet PCs that we are taking essentially replace all the backline equipment," he said. "We run two pieces of emulation software to recreate the sound of amplifiers. There are no amps, racks or floor monitors anywhere on stage."

The approach will allow Rundgren and his band to transport the entire production in a single trailer attached to their tour bus, according to a press release.

The tour supports "Liars," Rundgren's first album of all-new material in over a decade. The set landed in stores on Tuesday (4/6).

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