Wu-Tang Clan tour announces plans for extensive U.S. shows

The iconic rap collective Wu-Tang Clan has announced plans to launch a U.S. tour late this year that will stretch into early 2009. The almost 30-date jaunt begins on November 29 at the Roseland Theater in Portland, OR, and is scheduled to wrap on January 14 at a currently undisclosed in Atlanta, GA.

The coast-to-coast circuit features a December 3 concert at the Regency Center’s Grand Ballroom in San Francisco, CA, and a December 23 gig at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, NY. Along the way, the rappers will also make stops at House of Blues venues in five cities, including Las Vegas (December 6) and Chicago (December 14).

Accompanying Wu-Tang Clan on tour are Cappadonna, Streetlife, and DJ Mathematics. More dates for the trek will be announced in the future, according to a statement on the Clan’s official Web site.

The group is supporting the Clan’s 2007 album “8 Diagrams,” which peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 4 on the rap album charts. The record was Wu-Tang’s first album in about six years and first release since the death of original member ODB.

“8 Diagrams” featured the remaining eight members of Wu-Tang Clan, which formed in the early 1990s and became one of the leading influences in rap and hip-hop. Original members RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Inspecta Deck, and Masta Killer are all scheduled to appear each night on the tour.

Wu-Tang Clan itinerary:
(Dates subject to change.)