Jay-Z tour plots second round of North American concerts for 2009

He already completed a slate of summer concerts with Ciara, but that’s not the end of the road for rap mogul Jay-Z. The chart-topping songwriter has announced plans for a second leg of North American tour dates.

The trek launches this fall on October 9 at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA, and concludes more than a month later on November 22 at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX. The itinerary includes stops in 18 markets across the United States and Canada.

National highlights include an October 17 show at KeyArena in Seattle, WA, and a November 7 engagement at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA. North of the border, Jay-Z will stop for gigs on October 16 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, BC, and October 30 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC, among other dates.

Tickets will first be available through presales starting on September 8. The first public onsales follow at the end of the week on September 11.

In addition to his summer tour, which began in July, Jay-Z hit the U.S. concert market with a couple special show announcements. When the Beastie Boys had to pull out of All Points West so Adam “MCA” Yauch could undergo cancer treatments, the rap mogul announced that he would fill-in for the trio’s July 31 headline slot. The performance was Jay-Z’s U.S. festival debut.

Jay-Z also has a special charity concert scheduled for September 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. All proceeds from the one-off event will benefit the New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund.

The rapper and producer’s latest studio album, “The Blueprint 3,” hits stores on the same day as his New York benefit concert. The first installment in his now three-part “Blueprint” series dropped on September 11, 2001, adding extra significance to his planned concert and new album release date.

Jay-Z itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)