The highly-anticipated Soul 2 Soul Tour 2000 launches July 12 at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, and was originally to conclude August 20 at the United Center in Chicago after 24 shows.

Instead, the husband-and-wife duo will take a short break and then kick off a second leg September 1 at Gund Arena in Cleveland.

The additional dates will take Hill and McGraw to arenas throughout the Midwest and eastern U.S., including Pittsburgh; Columbus, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Philadelphia; St. Louis and Little Rock, Ark., before winding down at the Palace of Auburn Hills near Detroit on September 29.

A spokesperson for the couple told Pollstar that production rehearsals have begun in Nashville. Once the stage was built, designers were able to identify areas that would allow more seating to be added depending on venue configurations.

McGraw and Hill are country superstars in their own rights, and the tour has been one of the hotter tickets of the summer for country acts. The Anaheim Pond in Anaheim, Calif., reportedly sold out in less than 30 minutes and the America West Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., in 14 minutes.