Coldplay to hit SoCal, appear on 'Austin City Limits'

U.K. sensation Coldplay, which last month unveiled the majority of its upcoming winter U.S. tour dates, has penciled in a pair of Los Angeles-area concerts, tickets for which hit the box office this weekend.

The group, which launches the North American outing in late January, is scheduled to hit the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, CA, on Feb. 4, and then heads to Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim on Feb. 6. Tickets for both shows are set to go on sale Saturday (12/17), according to organizers. Since last check, the band has also added a March 17 show in Ottawa, Ontario, tickets for which are already on sale.

Fiona Apple will serve as the show-opener from the tour's Jan 25 kick-off through its March 5 stop in Tampa, and Richard Ashcroft will take over from March 17 until the tour's finale, which is currently set for April 6 in Philadelphia. The itinerary is included below.

Fans anxious to get a taste of Coldplay in concert don't have to wait for the tour to start, as the group will be featured on an upcoming edition of PBS's "Austin City Limits" concert program. The show, which premieres Saturday (12/17), is normally a half-hour long, but Coldplay's appearance will run for a full hour, according to a press release.

"It's a tremendous honor to play Austin City Limits, one of the grandest music showcases anywhere in the world," Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said in a statement. "It's a humbling experience knowing that we're sharing the same stage as performers like Johnny Cash and Neil Young who have had such a big influence on us as a band."

After the program airs, viewers who visit AustinCityLimits.com and identify the final song of Coldplay's performance will have a chance to win backstage access for the group's spring U.S. tour and a trip to attend an Austin City Limits taping in 2006. More information is posted at the Austin City Limits website.

Meanwhile, fans who register at the tour's official website by Dec. 19 have a chance to win a phone call from 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, which features the group's latest single, "Talk," was recently nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Rock Album Grammy category. "Speed of Sound," the album's first, single, also scored a Grammy nominations for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song.

The 48th annual Grammy Awards ceremony will take place Feb. 8 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will air live on CBS-TV.