The first performance is scheduled to take place on July 24th at the Uptown nightclub in Oakland, CA, and the itinerary will see the tour continue across North America, making three Canadian stops, before finishing off on August 23rd in Dallas, TX at the Superpages.com Center, totalling at 19 shows.

Lil’ Wayne, although having been in the music industry since his days with The Hot Boys in 1997, has only recently seen a surge in success and notoriety due to his most recent studio release Tha Carter III, which surfaced in 2008. Tha Carter III has garnered Lil’ Wayne a number of awards, including four grammy wins and five nominations, and he continues to ride the success as he prepares to release his next studio outing Rebirth, which will be more rock oriented than his previous rap albums.

Lil’ Wayne Tickets for the tour have already gone on sale since June 20th, so act fast to get yours today!

Canadian Lil’ Wayne Tour Dates
Toronto Lil’ Wayne Tickets: Aug 4 – Molson Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON
Vancouver Lil’ Wayne Tickets: Aug 17 – General Motors Place – Vancouver, BC
Edmonton Lil’ Wayne Tickets: Aug 18 – Rexall Place – Edmonton, AB

American Lil’ Wayne Tour Dates
Jul 24 – The Uptown Nightclub – Oakland, CA
Jul 27 – Toyota Pavillion at Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA
Jul 29 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY
Jul 30 – Post Gazette Pavilion at Star Lake – Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 31 – Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
Aug 1 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
Aug 2 – Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater – Virginia Beach, VA
Aug 6 – Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Aug 7 – Nissan Pavilion – Bristow, VA
Aug 8 – Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek – Raleigh, NC
Aug 13 – Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk – Universal City, CA
Aug 14 – Honda Center – Anaheim, CA
Aug 15 – Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord – Concord, CA
Aug 20 – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre – Englewood, CO
Aug 22 – Woodlands Pavilion – Woodlands, TX
Aug 23 – Superpages.com Center – Dallas, TX

I brought it up casually to a friend the other day who is a huge indie rock fan. I expected to be berated for even mentioning it…but to my utter astonishment and delight – she screamed in excitement! I ran to my bedroom and dug out the Warren G CD I keep hidden in a box under my bed, alongside a few other CD’s I’m not yet prepared to admit to. We sung (rapped I suppose is the correct term) to the CD and laughed hysterically at the fact that we both new every line and had never once admitted it to each other.

The most ridiculous part of it all is that this is a friend that knows everything about me. A friend I tell my dreams and crazy schemes too, who knows all the highs and lows from my past, yet doesn’t know that below my bed lies a box of CD’s I’m too ashamed to put out on the shelf.

Based solely on the fact that I judge people based on their musical tastes, I have never let on to my guilty pleasures, unless I feel I have a case to defend them to my fellow rock snobs. I can get away with artists like Elton John (usually singing a line or two from Tiny Dancer does the trick), or Phil Collins (the man is an amazing drummer and no one can deny that In the Air Tonight gives them chills), but when it comes to popular modern music I can’t find any viable defence.

So it is with that that I declare, I can sing along to 90% of whatever is on the Top 40 Charts at any given time and I am no longer hiding my Warren G CD in a box under my bed (there will, however, still remain a few secrets left in that box…but I will now have to find a new hiding spot for it).

Join me, Snoop Dogg, Warren G et al, June 19th at the Commodore Ballroom. General Admission tickets on sale Thursday, May 29th at 4:20PM (rolls-eyes) for $45+service fees.

Snoop Dogg’s West Fest
w/ Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, Westurn Union, Warzone, Mistah FAB
June 14, 2008 – Ventura Theater - Ventura, CA
June 15, 2008 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
June 16, 2008 – Senator Theater – Chico, CA
June 17, 2008 – Lithia Motors Amphitheater – Central Point, OR
June 18, 2008 – Showbox Sodo – Seattle, WA
June 19, 2008 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
June 20, 2008 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
June 21, 2008 – The Big Easy Concert House – Spokane, WA
June 24, 2008 – Dodge Theater – Phoenix, AZ
June 25, 2008 – Star of the Desert Arena – Las Vegas, NV
June 26, 2008 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
June 27, 2008 – Cricket Wireless Amphitheater – Chula Vista, CA