An additional 15 shows will be added to Dixie Chicks [ tickets ]' Fly tour in the coming weeks, a move that will extend the band’s debut headlining tour through early December. The new dates will include a mix of return visits to select cities, as well as stops in some previously untapped markets, according to the band’s publicist.

Denver, Houston, Phoenix and San Diego will be among the markets that will see return engagements by the popular female country trio. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale for just-added shows in at least five markets--St. Louis, San Diego, Oakland, Los Angeles, Denver and Phoenix--on Saturday (9/30).

The band will announce additional dates as they are confirmed through the musiccountry.com website, one of the tour’s sponsors. Opening acts haven't been confirmed for the newly announced dates.

By box-office standards, the Fly tour has been a runaway success. According to the band’s representatives, it has grossed more than $25 million from its first 49 dates, drawing an average crowd of more than 13,000 per show.

Prior to the June launch of the Fly tour, Dixie Chicks had played more than 250 dates on major tours, but hadn't previously been a headliner. "We wanted to continue to build our fan base by performing in front of three diverse audiences like the Tim McGraw, George Strait and Lilith Fair tours," the band's Natalie Maines said in a statement prior to Fly's opening.

Dixie Chicks’ first network concert special will be telecast by NBC on Nov. 20. The one-hour program was shot during a two-night stand in August at Washington, D.C.’s MCI Arena. The band is filming additional elements of the special this week in Los Angeles, according to the band’s publicist.

The trio is scheduled to perform during the Country Music Association Awards ceremony, to be telecast by CBS on Oct. 4. It will also be the subject of a Dan Rather interview scheduled to air on CBS’s “60 Minutes II” on Oct. 10.

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