Guitar hero Steve Vai [ tickets ] is getting ready to hit the road to support his upcoming two-disc album, "Sound Theories," which is scheduled to hit stores June 26.

Following a month-long tour of Europe, the rocker will kick off North American dates Sept. 7 in Las Vegas. He'll make his way up the West Coast before heading across the country and hitting a couple of Canadian cities into October. Those dates are listed below; Vai's European shows are listed at his website.

"Sound Theories" captures Vai's collaboration with the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra. The material is culled from five European performances, a studio session and a rehearsal, all of which took place between mid-2004 and 2005, according to a press release.

The first disc features Vai performing songs with the orchestra, including "For the Love of God," "Liberty," "The Murder" and "Attitude Song." Disc 2 has the orchestra performing compositions penned by Vai, including "Shadows and Sparks" and "Bledsoe Blvd."

"I wanted to be a composer ever since I was a young boy," Vai said in a statement. "Though the guitar fell into my lap and my fingers were glued to the instrument, I studied composition and musical notation long before I even started playing the guitar. Through high school, college and beyond, I kept up my studies but the prospect of getting your music performed by an orchestra when you're only considered to be an over-the-top electric rock guitar shredder seemed virtually impossible. To be able to hear your music performed is the greatest gift a composer could hope for. This was a dream project for me."

A companion DVD with highlights from the performances is set to be released August 21.

The new set follows 2005's "Real Illusions: Reflections," which was Vai's first album of new material in four years.

The Grammy-nominated guitarist, who first stepped into the spotlight in 1980 as a player in Frank Zappa's band, has sold nearly 6 million albums during his 20-plus-year solo career, according to a press release.