The first headlining tour by country performer Jo Dee Messina [ tickets ] is set to take to the road in February. Rascal Flatts, a band that found success in 2000 with the track “Prayin’ for Daylight,” will open.

The tour, which is expected to visit theaters in about 75 cities in 2001, will be presented by apparel marketer Jerzees and media sponsor CMT: Country Music Television. The itinerary currently has about a dozen confirmed dates.

Messina, a native of New England who moved to Nashville after finishing high school, gained experience as a performer with appearances on the bills of the George Strait Country Music Festival and the Judd’s reunion tour, among other opening slots.

Her latest album, “Burn” (Curb), was released in July, and has sold nearly a million copies to date on the strength of the title-track single and its follow-up, “That’s the Way.”

Messina became a major presence on country radio with her sophomore release, 1998’s “I’m Alright.” That album’s title track received significant airplay, as did the singles “Lesson in Leavin’," “Bye, Bye,” and “Stand Beside Me.”