Nickelback's latest album, Dark Horse, came out almost exactly a year ago today, and it's followed in the footsteps of the band's previous records by being a strong seller. The album was certified double-platinum back in April and has produced four singles. Not only are they a commercial force on the charts, though -- they're also a potent touring machine. With that in mind, they'll be returning to North America in April for another series of shows. (This will mark the band's third trip to North America since Dark Horse's release.) This time, Breaking Benjamin will be joining them, with Shinedown also putting in an appearance on some dates. Right now, there are only 11 shows confirmed, but word is there will be more announced soon.

Nickelback Tour Dates:

• Apr. 6 - London, ON - John Labatt Centre
• Apr. 8 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
• Apr. 9 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
• Apr. 11 - Ottawa, ON - Scotiabank Place
• Apr. 13 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
• Apr. 14 - Hampton VA - Hampton Coliseum
• Apr. 16 - Greenville, SC - BI-LO Center
• Apr. 17 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex
• Apr. 19 - Orlando, FL - Amway Arena
• Apr. 21 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
• Apr. 24 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center

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Alice in Chains are currently working their way through Europe, but they'll be back for a North American tour starting February 2 in Vancouver, Canada. The tour will span about seven weeks and cover most areas of the U.S., although the band aren't slated to perform in Los Angeles, the city that inspired their terrific recent song "Check My Brain" off Black Gives Way to Blue.

As they prepare for their 2010 tour, these new shows might feel a bit like a victory lap for a band that had to endure a lot to get to this point. Original singer Layne Staley's death in 2002 seemed to be the end for Alice in Chains, but songwriter Jerry Cantrell and new singer William DuVall picked up the pieces and delivered a pretty fantastic album that both honored their legacy and looked to the future. The band's last series of U.S. tour dates happened mostly before Black Gives Way to Blue's release, so this time fans should be very familiar with the new material. A lot of comeback tours fall flat because the new tunes aren't nearly as great as the old stuff. Happily, that's not the case here.

Alice in Chains Tour Dates:

• Feb. 2 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Theatre
• Feb. 4 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
• Feb. 6 - Salem, OR - Salem Armory
• Feb. 11 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
• Feb. 17 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre
• Feb. 19 - Denver, CO - Fillmore
• Feb. 21 - Kansas City, MO - Midland
• Feb. 22 - St. Louis, MO - Pageant
• Feb. 23 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace
• Feb. 25 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
• Feb. 27 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
• Mar. 1 - Nashville, TN - Municipal Auditorium
• Mar. 2 - Charlotte, NC - Fillmore
• Mar. 3 - Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall
• Mar. 5 - Richmond, VA - The National
• Mar. 6 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods
• Mar. 8 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
• Mar. 12 - Atlantic, City, NJ - Borgata
• Mar. 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
• Mar. 14 - Boston, MA - Orpheum
• Mar. 16 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
• Mar. 17 - Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
• Mar. 19 - Detroit, MI - Fillmore State Theatre
• Mar. 20 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
• Mar. 21 - St. Paul, MN - Roy Wilkens Auditorium

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Stone Temple Pilots announced on their website yesterday that they would be postponing their December and January tour dates, but that wasn't the real story. At the end of the news post, they said that the reason for the postponement was so that the band could "finish their highly anticipated record which will be coming out in the early spring of next year." Previously, frontman Scott Weiland had said that the album would come out some point in early 2010, but this is now the most concrete idea we have for an actual timetable for its release.

Other news outlets have focused on the postponement of tour dates, but what's interesting is that, in reality, that only means two shows -- one in Biloxi, Mississippi on December 29 and a New Year's Day show in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The band still have four more dates on their current tour, but that run of shows will end Tuesday. In other words, while people who had tickets for those two shows around the end of the year will be bummed, it's not as if STP canceled dozen of gigs to focus on this new record's completion. And hopefully those fans will be happy to know a new album is on the way. And since Weiland has already promised a long tour after its release, maybe they'll still get to see their heroes in the flesh soon.

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Bon Jovi veered away from rock music on their last album, 2007's country-leaning Lost Highway, but they returned (somewhat) to their old style with their new disc, the adult-contemporary The Circle. But no matter what kind of music they want to play, it appears that their fans will be there for them: The Circle debuted at No. 1 on this week's Billboard 200 album chart.

Selling 163,000 copies, The Circle is the band's fourth No. 1 record and their 10th to reach the Top 10. While I still think The Circle is a very mediocre album, you have to be impressed with Bon Jovi's commercial consistency -- how many of their pop-metal brethren from the late '80s have managed to maintain a similar run?

While Bon Jovi rule the roost, the New Moon soundtrack hangs on to the No. 10 spot for the second straight week -- not bad for an album that's been out for a full month. At 53,000 copies sold this week, the album actually increased its totals slightly from last week, suggesting that public awareness of the New Moon film (which opens this Friday) is helping boost album sales. My hunch is that the soundtrack will probably see another sales upsurge on next week's chart. But will it overtake The Circle? Or Them Crooked Vultures, which will be making its debut? I'm guessing not, but we shall see.

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Photo courtesy Island Def Jam.