Coldplay taps Apple, Ashcroft to open 2006 trek

British chart-toppers Coldplay, who earlier this week floated the first few dates of a winter tour through North America, have unveiled the rest of the itinerary, as well as the tour's support acts.

The 26-date run gets underway Jan 25 in Seattle, and subsequent stops are lined up through early April. Fiona Apple will serve as the show-opener from the tour's kick-off through its March 5 stop in Tampa, and Richard Ashcroft will take over from March 20 through April 6.

Tickets for most shows are scheduled to hit the box office Nov. 19, while those for the remaining stops will go on sale either Nov. 21 or Dec. 3. Details are included in the itinerary below.

The tour schedule was announced via a viral Internet campaign, whereby one date was revealed for every 33,000 visits to the tour's official website, TalktheTour.com. The process took about 51 hours.

Fans who register at the TalktheTour site can enter to win a phone call from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, along with a front-row seat at a Coldplay show, a meet-and-greet with the band, and a seat at the 2006 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Twenty-five runners-up will get the opportunity to speak with the band on a private conference call.

"X&Y," Coldplay's third album, hit stores in June, and entered The Billboard 200 album chart at No. 1, selling 737,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week out. The set features the group's latest single, "Talk," the music video for which is streaming at TalktheTour.com.

On Dec. 7, Coldplay will appear on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" for a two-song performance, and on Dec. 17, PBS will premiere the band's hour-long "Austin City Limits" performance, according to a press release.