Plenty of really good bands are getting out on the road in the near future, many of which I haven’t actually ever seen live…

• TV on the Radio is headed out for a massive US tour very shortly. Notable stops include a bunch of dates in Canada, two-night runs in Chicago, San Fran. and LA, and a two-night tour-finishing run in Washington, D.C.
• Yo La Tengo will be starting their tour Jan. 25 in Louisville, KY and going through to Feb. 10 before they head to Japan and Australia. I still haven’t gotten into these guys. It’s too daunting — there’s too much history or something that I’d need to acquaint myself with. Hell, just now catching up to Wilco’s back catalog and history took me about a year…anyone have any “here’s where you should start” suggestions on this band for me?
• Speaking of Wilco, the Sansone/Stirrat side-project known as The Autumn Defense is heading out for a nice-sized tour following up their latest self-title release. They look to hit most every part of the country so be on the watch for tickets in your area.
• The Arcade Fire has booked two five-night runs in February (one in Montreal, one in NYC), clearly gearing up for the blitz and a half on their new album Neon Bible.

I might have to consider that TV on the Radio run at the Metro — I love that venue now that it’s non-smoking.