Pearl Jam [ tickets ] has announced dates for the first leg of its 2006 world tour, set to begin shortly after the May 2 arrival of the group's latest studio album.

The band will hit 11 cities on the tour's first leg, kicking off May 9 with the first of a two-night stand in Toronto. The tour will stop at major cities along the East Coast and in the Great Lakes region. Public on-sale dates for the shows will be announced in local markets over the coming weeks.

My Morning Jacket [ tickets ] (whose latest album, "Z," hit stores last October) will provide support on the opening leg.

Pearl Jam [ tickets ]'s upcoming, self-titled album marks its eighth studio release, and is the band's first new album since 2002's "Riot Act." The new album is also the group's first for its new label, J Records.

"We've got all the instruments going full force, yet coexisting," the band said in a Q&A session posted on its website. "It's like we took our aggressions and shaped something positive from them in a very direct manner."

The album's first single, "World Wide Suicide," will be made available to radio stations March 8. It will also be available as a free, unrestricted download via Pearl Jam's official website for a limited time. The digital single will be available for purchase starting March 14.

Pearl Jam co-produced the album with Adam Kaspar at Studio X in Seattle. Kaspar also co-produced "Riot Act." The new album's tracklisting is available at the band's website.