Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney Announce 2012 American Stadium Tour

10:53 AM PST 11/14/2011 by Michael O'Connell

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The longtime friends and country stars kick off the 19-date Brothers of the Sun Tour in June of next year.

Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney are no strangers on the stage.

Two of country music's biggest stars, they started out as neighbors 20 years ago, opening for George Strait on tour. 10 years later, McGraw invited Chesney to join him as an opening act for his 2001 tour. Now the two plan to take the stage together.

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The duo announced dates for their Bothers of the Sun tour on Monday, planning 19 stops in America over the course of summer 2012. Starting in Tampa, Fla., on June 2 and working their way to Foxboro, Mass., by Aug. 25, the tour will hit spots throughout the continental U.S. -- all on Saturdays and Sundays.

"This will be more than just a tour for me," Chesney tells Billboard. "To go out there on the road with a guy you've been friends with for a long time and made a lot of music with already, with all the songs and music that will be played next summer, this is going to be real special for me and Tim."

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McGraw echoes his sentiments: "To get two artists to agree on anything is pretty spectacular. But to agree to go out together, do a tour together and just have a great time together and play music together is a pretty unique and remarkable thing. And I think that can only happen with guys who are as good of friends as we are."

Tickets for the tour go on sale Dec 3, though two markets -- Indianapolis and Cleveland -- have not solidified dates yet. Take a look at the complete list of stops below:

June 2 – Tampa, Fla.
June 3 – Atlanta, Ga.
June 9 – Dallas, Texas
June 10 – Kansas City, Mo.
June 16 – Philadelphia, Penn.
June 23 – Nashville, Tenn.
June 24 – Charlotte, N.C.
June 30 – Pittsburgh, Penn.
July 1 – Cincinnati, Ohio
July 7 – Chicago, Ill.
July 8 – Minneapolis, Minn.
July 14 – Anaheim, Calif.
July 21 – Denver, Colo.
TBA – Indianapolis, Ind.
TBA – Cleveland, Ohio
Aug. 11 – East Rutherford, N.J.
Aug. 12 – Washington D.C.
Aug. 18 – Detroit, Mich.
Aug. 25 – Foxboro, Mass.