Meat Loaf [ tickets ] is taking VH1's "Storytellers" concept on tour, marking the first time the cable series has been outfitted for the road. The 23-date, 21-city East Coast/Midwest theater tour will launch on Oct. 30 in support of the forthcoming "Meat Loaf: VH1 Storytellers" CD and the autobiography, "To Hell And Back" (Regan/Harper-Collins), both due Sept. 14.

The theatrical rocker will recreate the same football locker set used on his VH1 ''Storytellers'' performance for the tour, and -- like on the show -- will pepper the audience with anecdotes from his career between songs. . Expanding on the ''Storytellers'' format, Meat Loaf will summon concertgoers to join him onstage to sing backup on ''You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth,'' and will invite audience members to act out ''Paradise By The Dashboard Light.''

''Storytellers has allowed me to do the one thing I've always dreamed of doing: bring my audience, my songs and my show together on one stage,'' Meat Loaf said in a statement. ''It feels like what these songs, these stories have been destined for this all along.''

Meat Loaf's first album, ''Bat Out Of Hell,'' is one of the top five selling albums in history, with 16 million copies moved in the United States and 30 million worldwide.

Tickets for the first leg of the ''Storytellers'' tour go on sale on VH1's web site (www.vh1.com) on Sept. 13. Remaining tickets will be available at traditional outlets starting Sept. 25. The tour will hit the West Coast in early spring, then will continue on a European jaunt.

For those still without their fill of Meat, he can be seen in two upcoming films. ''The Fight Club,'' starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, is set for an Oct. 15 release. ''Crazy in Alabama'' with Melanie Griffith will be released Oct. 22.