AC/DC firms up new Stiff Upper Lip dates

update: AC/DC has firmed up the dates and venues for the second North American leg of its Stiff Upper Lip tour, named for the band's latest album. The 30-city jaunt is scheduled to open on March 18 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

The new dates focus on North American markets that the Australian rockers did not visit in 2000. Tickets for most shows have already gone on the market. According to Elektra, shows in Seattle, Vancouver, Edmonton, Alta.; Fargo, N.D., and West Valley City, Utah, sold out an hour after going on sale.

The band is revving up its promotional machine in advance of the tour. An "Angus Army"--named for AC/DC guitarist Angus Young--is being "drafted" through radio station contests in every city where the band is scheduled to perform. Winners will be "outfitted in an Angus Army regulation outfit (Angus' schoolboy suit), and enlisted to hop aboard the Angus Army bus to spread the word about the world's greatest rock band in malls, on college campuses and other venues frequented by AC/DC fans," according to a press release issued by Elektra. Contest winners will watch a concert from on the stage, and more details are available at the AngusArmy.com website.

According to Pollstar, last year's 33-show August-September run grossed $16.9 million.

AC/DC's latest album, "Stiff Upper Lip" (Elektra) was released a year ago, and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping more than 500,000 copies. The album's title track gave the hard-rock elder statesmen their first significant radio support for new material in years.

AC/DC is the fifth-best selling band in U.S. music history, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The RIAA certified the band for record sales of 63 million units in January, which trails only the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Eagles.

A New DVD version of the band's "No Bull" live concert video, which documents a 1996 concert that was filmed in a Madrid bullring, will be released on March 6.