AC/DC To Plug In For North American Tour

AC/DC will open a two month North American arena tour--the band's first since 1996--on Aug. 1 in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Australian-bred hard rockers are supporting the recent release "Stiff Upper Lip."

Tickets will go on sale through traditional outlets on June 17, but will be available through a special promotion on VH1.com and Ticketmaster.com on June 14, according to Elektra Records.

VH1 will also be the tour's presenting sponsor, and is planning a series of on-air and online events to promote the show. The cable network will debut a new Behind the Music profile of the band on June 18, and will also feature special AC/DC news segments in the coming weeks.

The title track from "Stiff Upper Lip" gave the hard-rock elder statesmen their first significant radio support for new material in years. The second video from the album, "Safe in New York City," is due in June.

Earlier this year, the Recording Industry Association of America presented AC/DC with a diamond award--certifying 10 million copies sold--for the band's 1980 album "Back in Black." One of the top-selling rock acts of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the band has sold nearly 85 million records worldwide, according to Elektra.

"Stiff Upper Lip" has been certified gold by the RIAA, and peaked on the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 7.