2/8 Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum
2/9 Birmingham, AL BJCC Arena
2/10 Nashville, TN Sommet Center
2/12 Auburn Hills , MI The Palace of Auburn Hills
2/13 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
2/16 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
2/17 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
2/19 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
2/20 Washington, DC Verizon Center
2/21 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
2/24 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden
2/25 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
2/28 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
3/1 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
3/2 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
3/4 Omaha, NE Qwest Center
3/5 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center
3/6 Houston, TX Toyota Center
3/8 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
3/9 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
3/10 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
3/12 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
3/13 Louisville, KY Freedom Hall
3/15 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Complex
3/16 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
3/17 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
3/19 Memphis, TN Fed Ex Forum
3/20 St Louis, MO Scottrade Center
3/22 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
3/23 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
3/25 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
3/26 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
3/30 Portland, OR Rose Garden
3/31 Seattle, WA KeyArena
4/1 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
4/3 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
4/4 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
4/6 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre
4/7 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
4/8 Fargo, ND FargoDome
4/10 Chicago, IL United Center

Chuck Harmony, who produced it with Ne-Yo, insists that the track and the album are a reflection of Rihanna’s growth as an artist. He told MTV News that no matter how you feel about the track, the album will prove that Rihanna is the Madonna of her generation. “I sat through mix sessions and I heard some of the songs on the record. It fits in well,” he said of “Russian Roulette.”

The song is a bit darker than some of Rihanna’s past singles, but Harmony said that isn’t indicative of the rest of the album. “I think Rihanna has captured what her old fans are used to, as well as the growth of an artist. ‘Russian Roulette,’ to me, is a shining example of her growth and her artistic expression,” he said. “‘Russian Roulette’ is definitely taking her to another level. I think she’s a pop icon, so her music should reflect that.”

Harmony added that he still can’t believe his track was picked to kick off her comeback, because there was just too much great material to pick from. “I was actually shocked I got the first single ’cause the album is so great,” he said.

Although Harmony is one of Rihanna’s colleagues, he says he’s just as interested as anyone in how the singer is marketing herself, including the single’s provocative cover art. “It fits in with the song,” he said of the photo. “The way it’s unfolding is so genius. Like, ‘The wait is ova’ [message on her site]. I was waiting too. I wanted to see the cover, I wanted to hear the song. It’s one of those records where you just don’t know. It’s not a faith record. It’s one of those thought-provoking records.”

Just two weeks after Lady Gaga’s Fame Kills Tour with Kanye West was cancelled, the ambitious pop star announced plans for an unprecedented “multimedia artistic experience” called The Monster Ball. The show was originally slated to premiere in London in early 2010, but the singer rallied her Haus of Gaga and is set to launch the trek on November 27th, four days after the release of The Fame Monster. Rehearsals for The Monster Ball begin next week and details about the show have been scarce until now. Lady Gaga revealed the tour’s theme, stage design and plans for The Fame Monster in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone. For more details on the tour, see our story in the next issue, on stands October 28th.

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