The "Poets & Pirates Tour" is scheduled to kick off April 18-19 with an already sold-out double play in Uncasville, CT, and visit a host of stadiums, arenas and amphitheaters across the US through mid-September. Since last check, shows have been tacked on in Fort Loramie, OH, and Tulsa, OK, and festival stops have been added in Detroit Lakes, MI, and the Wisconsin cities of Oshkosh and Cadott. The full schedule is included below.

The stadium shows on the calendar will feature LeAnn Rimes and Gary Allan, plus special guests including Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Sammy Hagar and Big & Rich on select dates.

Tour openers will be culled from Chesney's "Big Star Contest," which allows local bands in most markets to compete for the honor, according to a press release. For stadium gigs, hopefuls will have a chance to enter a battle of the bands the night before the concert, while cities hosting arena shows will hold the competition a couple of weeks out in local clubs. One grand-prize winner will be given a tour bus to open the final three shows of the tour, $25,000 and the opportunity to audition for Sony BMG executives.

Chesney said the contest is his way of paying it forward.

"It's about the fans, and giving 'em their own piece of the dream," the singer explained in a statement. "Being able to do this is maybe the biggest rush of all."

Chesney is touring behind last September's "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates," which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and has spawned hit singles "Never Wanted Nothing More," "Don't Blink" and "Shiftwork."

The set helped land Chesney a whopping 11 nominations at the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Top Male Vocalist, Album of the Year and Song of the Year for "Don't Blink." The country star has been chosen as the ACM Entertainer of the Year for the last three years and is also the reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year.

Chesney has sold more than 28 million albums during his career, and more than 1 million concert tickets annually over the past six years, according to a press release.