Arena dates on tap for Elton John

Iconic pop-rocker Elton John will embark on his first North American arena dates of 2006 in September.

Though his itinerary is still a work in progress, John is currently scheduled to play arenas in eight cities in the western US and Canada, starting with a Sept. 16 gig in San Jose, CA.

As previously reported, John is also slated to perform during the Sept. 7 Fashion Rocks concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall, with proceeds from the show to benefit John's AIDS foundation.

In addition, "The Red Piano," John's Las Vegas production, will play select dates through the end of July and in October. The Vegas show, created by John with photographer David LaChapelle to spotlight the songs of John and his longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin--made its debut at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in 2004. John's initial agreement with Caesars called for 75 shows over three years, but the production proved to be a hot seller, prompting the resort to book John for more than the initially planned 25 shows per year.

Last year, the singer/pianist signed a new agreement that calls for an additional 150 shows through 2008, according to Caesars.

John's latest album of new material is 2004's "Peachtree Road." The set, which is the 43rd album of his career, debuted at No. 17 on The Billboard 200 album chart.