Black Eyed Peas cook up summer tour

By the time they hit the road with Gwen Stefani this fall, The Black Eyed Peas will have spent plenty of time perfecting their live show during a string of summer concerts that begin this weekend.

The group kicks things off Saturday (7/2) with a performance at the Philadelphia installment of Live 8, followed by a same-day show in St. Louis. Subsequent tour dates--most of which are set in Canada--are stacked up through the end of July.

They'll close out the month by opening a New York show for the Dave Matthews Band, and will again open for the group during a mid-August, two-night stand in San Francisco. Also in August, the band will open for The Rolling Stones during that band's two-night, world-tour kick-off at Boston's Fenway Park.

As previously reported, the Peas will hold down the opening slot on No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani's fall solo tour, which begins in mid-October. Details are included below.

The Black Eyed Peas are backing their latest album, "Monkey Business," which hit stores earlier this month and debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart thanks to first-week sales of about 291,000 copies. The set features the group's current Top 10 hit, "Don't Phunk with My Heart."

"Monkey Business" is the follow-up to 2003's "Elephunk," a commercial breakthrough for the group, and its first album to feature female singer Fergie. Before she joined the fold, the Peas--originally a trio comprising MCs Will.I.Am, Apl.De.Ap and Taboo--released two critically acclaimed albums (1998's "Back to Front" and 2000's "Bridging the Gap") that got a lukewarm response from consumers.

Last year, Taboo told SoundSpike how things changed once he and his cohorts recruited Fergie.

"Fergie has brought a resurgence to the band--as far as having a new member, having a voice that people can relate to when they hear the voice and see the persona, and they see the performance," he said. "We've always had women in our songs, but now there's a face behind it."

"Elephunk" spawned the group's breakthrough hit, "Let's Get it Started" (originally titled "Let's Get Retarded"), which the NBA used as its flagship song during the 2004 playoffs, as well the cut "Hey Mama," which Apple secured for its iPod ad campaign.