Velvet Revolver confirms tour with Alice In Chains

Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland and guitarist Slash confirmed that the band will tour later this summer with Alice In Chains. The trek, which has been rumored for weeks, will begin in August and feature Sparta as the second leg's opening act. A warm-up band for the first half has yet to be announced. Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan, who played with Alice In Chains on a few of their reunion shows last year, told us he's excited about the team-up: [ Click to listen if you have a backstage pass] "Yeah, they're really good friends of mine and I love those guys, and those are my homeboys and I love those songs, and Jerry (Cantrell, guitarist)'s an amazing songwriter. I think it's just great that we're able to take those guys out and get an opening band like Sparta or something. It'll be a great rock 'n' roll show."

Scott Weiland told MTV he's looking forward to seeing Alice In Chains, saying, "People have been saying the (reunion) shows were amazing, and they were drawing some pretty big crowds, so we figured it would be kind of a cool gig. It would be fun to watch them play every night and listen to those songs."

Velvet Revolver releases its new album, Libertad, on July 3rd.

Alice In Chains has reportedly been writing songs for its first new studio album in 12 years, but no further information is available. The band reunited last year for North American and European tours, with vocalist William DuVall stepping in for late singer Layne Staley, who died in 2002.