Godsmack Plan Fall US Tour with Rob Zombie

Band Photo: Rob Zombie (?)

Godsmack will finally head out on tour in support of their month-old "IV" in the fall for a 25-date U.S. trek that's set to launch August 25 in Dallas with support by Rob Zombie. The tour's finale is set for October 1 in Concord, California. Tickets for the entire tour go on sale Saturday through Ticketmaster.

"Debuting at #1 was a testament to our fanbase," Drummer Shannon Larkin said. "They ran out and bought the album the first week and made us #1, which, you know, we will give back to them this fall when we come back on tour. We'll give back to crowd for going out and buying our record and making us #1. We're bringing the biggest show we've ever brought to America, and we're going to be bringing Rob Zombie out with us. So, it's going to be an amazing thing. Hopefully, we can return the love to our rabid fanbase, and so we have to bring a great show to these people."

In a statement, Erna said that the band's "fans should expect the biggest Godsmack spectacle yet. This tour will be a virtual, visual, and aural circus. Expect the unexpected when we hit your town." According to a press release, Zombie will be setting the stage during each stop on the tour, turning the venue "into a funhouse of mystery and madness as creatures walk the stage of pyrotechnics, smoke, and mirrors. This is a no-holds barred show so hold on for the ride."

Larkin said Godsmack will spend much of this summer concocting a worthy set list, one that'll satisfy the fans who've been with them since the beginning as well as those who've just discovered the band.

"With the band having — what, 13 top 10 rock hits? — we want to play all the hits, of course, but you don't want it to be just all radio songs," Larkin said. "You want to put some deep cuts on there, and you want to get some songs from the new record that we're so attached to and love so much, because it's fresh and new to us" — like the first single, "Speak," and the forthcoming second single, "Shine Down." "It's hard to cram all this stuff into one set, so we're being very meticulous about picking our set list," Larkin explained. "We don't want to be that band that plays too long either, and we're thinking of maybe having multiple set lists. There are a good 10 songs we have to play every night — "Voodoo," the staples of the set."

The drummer said that Godsmack jumped at the chance to tour this fall with Zombie: "As soon as it was Rob Zombie, we were sold, because he's not only an icon in rock but I'm such a huge fan of horror movies, and his films are just amazing."

Here are the Godsmack and Rob Zombie tour dates, according to Godsmack's publicist:

8/25 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Center
8/26 - Selma, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/27 - Houston, TX @ C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
8/30 - Atlanta, GA @ HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
8/31 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
9/2 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion
9/3 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
9/4 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
9/7 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center
9/8 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
9/9 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
9/12 - Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
9/13 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theater
9/15 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
9/16 - Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
9/17 - Maryland Heights, MO @ UMB Bank Pavilion
9/19 - Kansas City, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
9/20 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks
9/22 - Las Vegas, NV @ Theatre Under The Stars at Hard Rock
9/23 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
9/24 - Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion
9/27 - Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
9/29 - Marysville, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre
9/30 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
10/1 - Concord, CA @ Sleep Train Pavilion

Source: MTV.com