Paul McCartney plotting North American and European outings

Paul McCartney, who has not toured the U.S. since 1993, will kick off a North American outing in April to back his latest album, "Driving Rain." A European jaunt will follow in May.

McCartney's North American run, dubbed the Driving USA tour, will comprise 14 U.S. dates and one Canadian stop, according to a press release. The former Beatle plans to launch the tour in California at the beginning of April and wrap things up in New York by month's end. Ticketing information, venues and dates will be announced soon.

The European leg of McCartney's tour--details for which are also as-yet unannounced--will make stops in at least five countries.

In a prepared statement, McCartney said, "I'm very excited to be getting back on the road, playing with a new band and including in the show some songs that I haven't played live before."

"Driving Rain" (Capitol), the latest entry in McCartney's sizeable catalog, surfaced in November and debuted at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The album has sold about 300,000 copies to date, according to industry sources.

Included on the album is the track "Freedom," a song that McCartney penned in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. He first performed the song during the Oct. 20 Concert for New York benefit, and also performed it during Sunday's (2/3) Super Bowl pre-game show.

A streaming version of the "Freedom" music video can be viewed at McCartney's official website.

McCartney's upcoming North American run will bring his lifelong tally of live concerts to more than 600, according to a press release. He performed 252 concerts with the Beatles, 142 with Wings and 195 as a solo artist.