Bob Dylan tour hits American ballparks with Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp

Much like baseball, attending concerts by legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan could very well be considered an American pastime. This season, the two will be combined on the Bob Dylan Show’s 2009 Ballpark Tour.

Dylan’s 22-city tour will weave a coast-to-coast path, stopping in minor league baseball parks across the nation. The trek begins July 2 at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, IL, and closes August 15 at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton, CA.

Two other icons of American music will complete the run with Dylan: seasoned road dog and prolific recording artist Willie Nelson and veteran arena rocker John Mellencamp. The trio, appearing on stage together for the first time in about 24 years, will perform shows on July 14 at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA, and August 5 at August 5 at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, TX, among other dates.

The first pre-sale tickets will be available on April 27 to visitors of Dylan’s official Web site. The first round of public on-sales begin on May 2. Ticket face values set at $67.50, though children 14 years old and under get in free when accompanied by an adult ticketholder.

All the shows on the tour are general admission, with both the field and stands open to fans. Dylan launched his first tour of the nation’s minor league baseball parks in 2004, and has since drawn more than a half-million fans to the events, according to a tour statement.

Dylan’s latest studio album, “Together Through Time,” hits stores on April 28 via Columbia Records. The effort has already earned acclaim from publications such as UK’s The Times and Rolling Stone, which gave the album four stars and called its creator “an authentically pitted instrument ideally suited to the devastated settings of these songs and the rusted desert-shed production.”

Bob Dylan itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)