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AC/DC cranks up tour plans

Rock vets AC/DC, who recently unveiled plans for their first world tour since 2001, have expanded the already-formidable outing by adding more than a dozen North American dates to their schedule.

The group plans to cap its fall outing just before Christmas with two newly added shows in Florida, and, following a short holiday, will get back on the tour trail to tackle a January slate that comprises 14 shows spread across North America.

As previously reported, the group will launch the run in late October. Details are included below.

Demand is high for tickets to the group's impending tour, as evidenced by the 18 sellouts the band logged when tickets went on sale earlier this month, prompting the group to add encore performances in a number of cities.

AC/DC's upcoming tour supports the forthcoming album "Black Ice," which is due in stores Oct. 20. As has become more commonplace in recent years, AC/DC has joined the ranks of artists who cut deals with exclusive retail distributors; "Black Ice" will be sold in the US exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, as well as via the band's website.

Fans who order tickets to the tour via Ticketmaster.com will have an exclusive opportunity to pre-order "Black Ice," according to a press release. (Ticketmaster is LiveDaily's parent company.)

Produced by Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam) and mixed by the band's longtime audio engineer, Mike Fraser, "Black Ice" features the leadoff single "Rock 'N' Roll Train," which hit radio stations late last month and went to No. 1 at rock radio, according to Sony BMG. The cut is streaming at the band's website.

Earlier this month, AC/DC released "No Bull: The Directors Cut," a newly edited HD DVD version of its July 1996 concert at the famed Plaza De Toros de las Ventas bullring in Madrid, Spain.

In related news, MTV Games, makers of the popular "Rock Band" video game, announced today plans to release "AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack," which will feature master recordings from "the best of the band's live performances," according to a press release. The 18 songs were remixed by Fraser, and clock in at more than 99 minutes of "game play for each instrument."

"AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack" is due out Nov. 2 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, and on Nov. 16 for the Wii.