Tom Waits plans 8-day August tour

CHICAGO, July 5 (UPI) -- Singer-songwriter Tom Waits will go on tour in August for the first time since 1999, performing in major cities in the Midwest and Southern states.

His eight-day tour will take him to some cities where he hasn't played for three decades. The concerts are in Atlanta (Aug. 1); Asheville, N.C. (Aug. 2); Memphis (Aug. 4); Nashville (Aug. 5); Louisville, Ky. (Aug. 7); Chicago (Aug. 9); Detroit (Aug. 11); and Akron, Ohio (Aug. 13), Billboard.com reported.

Asked how he chose the cities for the tour, Waits said: "We need to go to Tennessee to pick up some fireworks, and someone owes me money in Kentucky."

Waits played a few shows in 2004, but has not toured widely since 1999 when he was promoting his album "Mule Variations."

No new album is being released in conjunction with the new tour, but Anti-Records is at work on a boxed set.