Another wait is over. After weeks of speculation, the dates for the US part of the Wrecking Ball Tour were announced today. The result is 19 shows in 11 states plus Washington DC, starting in Atlanta, GA, on March 18 and ending in Newark on May 2. As is usually the case, Northeasterners have plenty of shows to choose from, including three in New Jersey and two in New York City, while the rest of the country have to make do with shows in Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Jose, Greensboro, Tampa and New Orleans. Surprisingly, there are no shows scheduled for either Chicago or Texas. That may still change - if nothing else, in the fall - but for now this is the gist of it. You can check out the complete list of shows on our tour page. If you're looking for ticket info, please visit backstreets.com, but don't wait too long. The first tickets go on sale this Friday.

The official announcement also included the lineup of the E Street Band and additional musicians, but there was no mention of a replacement for Clarence. Again, this could be subject to change. Especially since Steve Van Zandt recently said in an interview with a Norwegian paper that there would be a replacement. Either he didn't check this with Bruce or nobody has been selected yet. Rumors have been mentioning both Clarence's nephew Jake Clemons and long-time Asbury Jukes saxophonist Ed Manion, but absolutely nothing has been confirmed.

That will be the next thing we have to wait for.