Rap royalty Kanye West and Jay-Z have teamed up to form a new group, called The Throne. The duo will showcase their workmanship with a new full-length album, “Watch the Throne,” and a North American tour of the same name.
The 24-date Watch the Throne Tour kicks off September 22 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, MI. West and Jay-Z will cross the country over the next month and a half before closing their venture November 3 at TD Garden in Boston, MA.
Highlights on the U.S. calendar include two-night stands on September 27-28 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ; October 6-7 at the United Center in Chicago, IL; and October 19-20 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
West and Jay-Z will also visit three Canadian markets during their stint on the road, playing September 24 at the Air Canada Center in Toronto, ON, and September 25 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, as well as a single western province date on October 14 at the HP Pavilion in Vancouver, BC.
Presales start July 28, and public ticket sales will begin August 8 on Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com, according to a press release from Live Nation and Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment and management division of the company.
August 8 also marks the planned release date for “Watch the Throne,” which the pair had been collaborating on since late 2010. Fans who purchase their concert tickets through an official online channel will also receive a digital copy of the album.
In recent months and years, West has made several concert and festival appearances, including a headline spot on the Coachella 2011 bill. But the upcoming fall 2011 tour is his first major outing since the 2008 Glow in the Dark Tour. West’s later plans to tour with Lady Gaga were cancelled following the rapper’s widely scrutinized antics during the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards.
Jay-Z has been more active on the road, headlining All Points West 2009 and Coachella 2010, while also completing late 2009 and early 2010 tour legs for “The Blueprint 3.” Shortly before beginning The Throne collaboration project, Jay-Z staged concerts with Eminem in the rappers’ hometowns of Detroit and New York City.
Kanye West & Jay-Z — Watch the Throne Tour itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
| September 22 | Auburn Hills, MI | Palace of Auburn Hills |
| September 24 | Toronto, ON | Air Canada Centre |
| September 25 | Montreal, QC | Bell Centre |
| September 27 – 28 | East Rutherford, NJ | Izod Center |
| September 29 | Washington, DC | Verizon Center |
| October 4 | Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center |
| October 6 – 7 | Chicago, IL | United Center |
| October 8 | Minneapolis, MN | Target Center |
| October 10 | Denver, CO | Pepsi Center |
| October 13 | Tacoma, WA | Tacoma Dome |
| October 14 | Vancouver, BC | Rogers Arena |
| October 16 | San Jose, CA | HP Pavilion |
| October 17 | Sacramento, CA | Power Balance Pavilion |
| October 19 – 20 | Los Angeles, CA | Staples Center |
| October 21 | Las Vegas, NV | MGM Grand Garden Arena |
| October 25 | Dallas, TX | American Airlines Center |
| October 26 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center |
| October 29 | Atlanta, GA | Philips Arena |
| October 30 | Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Coliseum |
| November1 | Baltimore, MD | 1st Mariner Arena |
| November3 | Boston, MA | TD Garden |