R. Kelly Comes Out of the Closet

R. Kelly will hit the road -- under the moniker "Mr. Show Biz" -- for the Light It Up tour. The twenty-six-city stint, which will feature a live band, kicks off March 9th in Kansas City, Missouri.

The trek will mark the first time the singer has headlined an outing since 2004's tumultuous Best of Both Worlds tour with Jay-Z. (Lawsuits between the two artists are still pending as a result of the heated tour.)

But the singer bounced back in 2005 with TP.3 Reloaded, featuring "Trapped in the Closet" -- which spawned the epic "Trapped in the Closet" series of music videos. The operatic saga is nominated for a Grammy award for Best Long Form Music Video.

R. Kelly tour dates:

3/9: Kansas City, MO, Midland Theatre
3/10: St. Louis, Fox Theatre
3/11: Tulsa, OK, Brady Theatre
3/12: Oklahoma City, OK, Civic Center
3/14: Houston, Jesse Jones Hall
3/16: Dallas, Nokia Theatre
3/17: Austin, TX, Bass Hall
3/18: Little Rock, AR, Alltel Arena
3/20: Atlanta, Fox Theatre
3/24: Miami, Knight Center
3/25: Clearwater, FL, Eckerd Hall
3/26: Jacksonville, FL, Moran Theatre
3/28: Raleigh, NC, Memorial Auditorium
3/29: Charlotte, NC, Ovens Auditorium
3/31: Nashville, Ryman Auditorium
4/1: Memphis, Canon Center
4/3: Pittsburgh, Heinz Hall
4/7: Boston, Wang Center
4/8: Philadelphia, Tower Theatre
4/9: Atlantic City, NJ, House of Blues
4/12: Newark, NJ, Performing Arts Center
4/18: New York, Radio City Music Hall
4/23: Indianapolis, Murat Theatre
4/26: Chicago, Chicago Theatre
4/28: Milwaukee, Milwaukee Theatre
4/29: Minneapolis, Orpheum Theatre