Eighties-era icon Billy Idol [ tickets ] returns to the road in late August for a lengthy run through the U.S. and Canada, during which the rocker will test out some new material.

Idol and longtime guitarist Steve Stevens have tapped bassist Stephen McGrath, drummer Brian Tichy and keyboardist Derek Sherinian to back them on the outing.

Though no release date is set, Idol and Stevens have been "writing away like demons" since last year as they prepare material for a new album, according to a message that Stevens posted on his website earlier this year. Whenever the album does surface--and rumors indicate that it is likely to do so later this year--it will mark Idol's first new studio set since 1993's poorly received "Cyberpunk."

In 2001, Idol released a greatest-hits collection, which moved about 500,000 copies in the states. The CD-version of his VH1 "Storytellers" appearance with Stevens followed last year.

Before launching a successful solo career in the early '80s, Idol got his start fronting punk outfit Generation X in the mid '70s. In April of this year, Chrysalis Records released a three-disc anthology of the group's music. Disc one features singles, B-sides and previously unreleased tracks from a planned covers album; disc two houses the previously unreleased album "Sweet Revenge"; and disc three is an unreleased live set recorded during a 1978 performance in Japan, according to the label.

After leaving Generation X, Idol achieved stardom during the '80s thanks to hits such as "White Wedding," "Rebel Yell," "Dancing with Myself" and "Cradle of Love," among others.