Coldplay launches world tour in North America

After next month's free show in New York City, British alt-rockers Coldplay [ tickets ] will dive into a full North American outing to support their forthcoming album, "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends."The first leg of the band's world tour officially kicks off July 2 in Washington, DC, and currently encompasses nearly 30 dates across the US and Canada through November. In the midst of the trek, Coldplay will jet to Japan Aug. 9-10 for the Summer Sonic Festival. North American shows are listed below and those overseas can be found at the group's website.Last month, Coldplay announced it would play a free show at New York City's Madison Square Garden June 23 to preview "Viva la Vida." Hopeful concert-goers can sign up at the band's website to win tickets, and one lucky fan will also score airfare from their home town and hotel accommodations. Coldplay has also booked a similar free concert June 16 at London's Brixton Academy."Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" is slated to hit North American record outlets June 17. Fans who pre-order the set from Apple's iTunes Music Store will be able to download the title track immediately, and will get two free bonus tracks upon release.The album's lead single, "Violet Hill," recently made its radio debut and is holding steady in the Top 20 on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. The tune is streaming at Coldplay's MySpace page."Viva la Vida," produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs, follows Coldplay's 2005 Grammy-nominated set, "X&Y," which entered The Billboard 200 at No. 1. That album has since sold more than 10 million copies on the strength of modern-rock/pop hits including "Talk," "Fix You" and "Speed of Sound."