The groups announced February 3 they are teaming up for a co-headlining tour in the United States and Canada, beginning March 22 in Oregon.

“The co-headlining thing is just to let people know we will be playing sets of equal length,” Death Cab bassist Nick Harmer told The AP by phone from Berlin.

Harmer said the idea to tour with Franz Ferdinand came after Death Cab band members began talking about plans to launch a U.S. tour.

“We were like ‘Why don’t we tour with another big band and see how it goes?” he said.

But don’t expect to see any ego blow-ups, such as the ones between Jay-Z and R. Kelly. Death Cab has long had a motto of touring only with bands the members have a personal relationship with, Harmer said.

“The Franz Ferdinand guys all seem to be very much in line with how we feel about rock ‘n’ roll,” he said. “Some people like to be called rock stars. To us, if you’re called a rock star that’s an insult.”

The bands have big post-tour festival plans as well. Franz will play Coachella a few dates after the tour ends and Death Cab is on the bill at Bonnaroo in June.