Beyoncé tour announces first world dates for I AM… outing

Acclaimed R&B singer and actress Beyoncé Knowles has confirmed the first dates for her 2009 I AM… world tour. The 22-date European leg begins April 26 at Arena in Zagreb, Croatia, and concludes May 31 at Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Highlights for the European outing include a May 5 performance at Bercy in Paris, France, a May 8 concert at The O2 in Berlin, Germany, and a May 25 show at The O2 in London, England. General onsales begin over the course of the coming week, with exact dates varying from December 12 through December 20 depending on the venue.

Additional international and North American dates are expected to follow in the spring and continue through the summer. According to a report by Entertainment Weekly, the tour will total 110 performances and include a week-long stint in Las Vegas.

Designer and director Thierry Mugler will serve as the tour’s creative advisor and costume designer, according to a statement on the performer’s official Web site. In addition, Beyoncé will be accompanied onstage by a new all-female band throughout the trek, which is her first since 2007’s sold-out Beyoncé Experience tour.

Beyoncé will support her November 18 album, “I Am…Sasha Fierce.” The record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the singer’s third consecutive release to debut at the top of the charts. A follow-up to 2006’s triple Platinum “B’Day,” the new two-disc record unveils Beyoncé’s alter ego, Sasha Fierce.

Beyoncé itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)