Paul McCartney has picked up the pace in plotting his summer 2010 itinerary. The legendary rocker, honored with the Gershwin Prize this week at the White House, nearly tripled the length of his on-going Up and Coming Tour with five new concerts.

The three new U.S. dates on the books are set for July 15 at Pepsi Center in Denver, CO; July 24 at Spring Center in Kansas City, MO; and August 18 at the opening of the new Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

The rock veteran will now also perform at least two shows for his fans north of the border. His first Canadian gigs of 2010 are lined up for August 8 at Air Canada Center in Toronto, ON, and August 12 at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC.

Ticket presales begin June 9 on McCartney’s official Web site, and public onsales follow on June 14. As with most of his summer shows, ticket face values will run from the upper-$50 range to about $250 for the newly announced gigs, according to Ticketmaster.com‘s current event listings.

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The goal for McCartney’s Up and Coming Tour has been to visit markets where the famed singer-songwriter has either not visited for some time or never performed at all.

In Pittsburgh’s case, the former Beatles bassist and Wings frontman has not played in the city since February 1990. But the concert has added significance as the first-ever event at the still-under-construction Consol Energy Center, which has a projected August 1 completion date.

“We are excited to have an icon like Paul McCartney return to Pittsburgh for the first time in more than 20 years to open Consol Energy Center — a world-class performer in a world-class facility,” said Ken Sawyer, the arena’s operator and CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins, in a prepared statement. “It’s a signal to the city and the region that this more than just a hockey arena or a sports arena. It is a first-class entertainment center.”

Officially announcing the concert in a June 3 press conference, General Manager Jay Roberts said that the new arena moved up its opening day by two weeks to accommodate Macca’s concert, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Previously, Lady Gaga’s September 5 show had been the first on the books for the new arena.

Sir Paul began his touring season with five concerts in the United States and Puerto Rico. He’ll next complete a June tour of the UK and Ireland before returning stateside for the summer tour leg.

Paul McCartney itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)

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July 10 San Francisco, CA AT&T Park
July 13 Sandy, UT Rio Tinto Stadium
July 15 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
July 24 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
July 26 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
August 8 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
August 12 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
August 18 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center