Melissa Etheridge [ tickets ] fans can get an early listen to her forthcoming album Breakdown (Island Def Jam) by visiting certain Hard Rock Cafes in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe the night before it's on sale in stores.

In all, 38 Hard Rock locations will host CD listening parties on Oct. 4 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Festivities will include viewings of Etheridge's performance on VH1's Hard Rock Live weekly music show and the video for the first single, "Angels Would Fall.'' Admission will be free.

Hard Rocks in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, Newport Beach, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis and Washington, D.C., will host parties in the U.S.

In Europe, parties are set for Amsterdam, Barcelona, Edinburgh, London and Paris. Canadian shindigs will take place in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto (on Yonge Street) and Vancouver. Aussies can find fellow Etheridge fans in Melbourne and Surfer's Paradise.

Fans will have an early opportunity to purchase the new album -- Etheridge's first in four years -- after midnight at the parties.

Five days after the Orlando listening party, Etheridge will kick of her U.S. tour of intimate halls at the adjoining Hard Rock Live. So far, only the first nine dates from the first leg of the tour have been confirmed by Etheridge's camp.