The White Stripes to tour 'Great White North'

Grammy Award-winning rock band The White Stripes announced on Wednesday the Canadian leg of a tour in support of their soon-to-be-released album, Icky Thump. The tour, which would be the first cross-Canada excursion for The White Stripes, will see the band play dates in all provinces and territories.

The latest tour for The White Stripes will kick off June 1 in Nürburgring, Germany and will play several dates in Europe before starting off in Canada on June 24, in Burnaby, British Columbia. Canadian dates will include stops in northern locales such as Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit, on Baffin Island.

The White Stripes, made up of guitarist/singer Jack White and drummer Meg White, have developed a significant worldwide following with their blend of punk and blues, guitar-oriented rock. The band had expressed interest in playing cities they had not yet visited. "Having never done a full tour of Canada, Meg and I thought it was high time to go whole hog," said Jack White on The White Stripes website. "We want to take this tour to the far reaches of the Canadian landscape. From the ocean to the permafrost." The band's website referred to Canada by its nickname, the 'Great White North'.

The White Stripes have played to thousands in large outdoor festival settings, but will have to deal with different logistics while setting up in a northern location, such as Iqaluit.

Some 500 tickets for the Iqaluit show are to be sold, with an admission fee of approximately CA$40. Mike Bozzer, the city of Iqaluit's economic development officer, told CBC News that talks have taken place with The White Stripes' publicist regarding equipment, technicians, security and other such details. "It's definitely going to have some economic impact, and they'll come back home with positive stories of the city," said Bozzer.

The band's ten-year anniversary will be reached at a point during the Canadian leg of the tour, which will be commemorated. "Another special moment of this tour is the show which will occur in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia on July 14th, The White Stripes’ Tenth Anniversary," said Jack White.

Following the Canadian dates, The White Stripes will embark on a tour in the United States, which will reach some 16 states they have not yet visited during their career, among other repeat locations.

2007 Canadian Tour Dates   Venue City Province/Territory June 24   Deer Lake Park Burnaby British Columbia June 25   Yukon Arts Centre Whitehorse Yukon June 26   Shorty Brown Multiplex Arena Yellowknife Northwest Territories June 27   Arctic Winter Games Arena Iqaluit Nunavut June 29   Pengrowth Saddledome Calgary Alberta June 30   Shaw Convention Centre Edmonton Alberta July 1   TCU Place Saskatoon Saskatchewan July 2   MTS Centre Winnipeg Manitoba July 3   Community Auditorium Thunder Bay Ontario July 5   Molson Amphitheatre Toronto Ontario July 6   Bell Centre Montreal Quebec July 7   John Labatt Centre London Ontario July 8   Bluesfest Ottawa Ontario July 10   Moncton Coliseum Moncton New Brunswick July 11   Charlottetown Civic Centre Charlottetown PEI July 13   Cunard Centre Halifax Nova Scotia July 14   Savoy Theatre Glace Bay Nova Scotia July 16   Mile One Centre St. John's Newfoundland