Having already brought to life the multiple characters of the epic musical saga "Trapped in the Closet," R. Kelly is putting another twist on his own identity. The veteran R&B artist will hit the road this spring under the name Mr. Show Biz, as part of the Light It Up Tour. Dates begin March 9 in Kansas City, Mo.

Kelly will be backed by a live band on the outing, the itinerary for which is not totally finalized. So far, shows are lined up through April 29 in Minneapolis.

The artist hasn't mounted a major U.S. tour since the premature collapse of his fall 2004 Best of Both Worlds outing with Jay-Z, resulting in multiple, as-yet-unresolved lawsuits.

But he has continued to pique the attention of audiences through his recordings, particularly "Trapped in the Closet," which is nominated for a best long form music video Grammy at next week's ceremony. The 2005 Jive album from which it was drawn, "TP3: Reloaded," debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200.

Here are R. Kelly's tour dates:

March 9: Kansas City, Mo. (Midland Theatre)
March 10: St. Louis (Fox Theatre)
March 11: Tulsa, Okla. (Brady Theatre)
March 12: Oklahoma City (Civic Center)
March 14: Houston (Jesse Jones Hall)
March 16: Dallas (Nokia Theatre)
March 17: Austin, Texas (Bass Hall)
March 18: Little Rock, Ark. (Alltel Arena)
March 20: Atlanta (Fox Theatre)
March 24: Miami (Knight Center)
March 25: Clearwater, Fla. (Eckerd Hall)
March 26: Jacksonville, Fla. (Moran Theatre)
March 28: Raleigh, N.C. (Memorial Auditorium)
March 29: Charlotte, N.C. (Ovens Auditorium)
March 31: Nashville (Ryman Auditorium)
April 1: Memphis (Canon Center)
April 3: Pittsburgh (Heinz Hall)
April 7: Boston (Wang Center)
April 8: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)
April 9: Atlantic City, N.J. (House of Blues)
April 12: Newark, N.J. (NJPAC)
April 18: New York (Radio City Music Hall)
April 23: Indianapolis (Murat Theatre)
April 26: Chicago (Chicago Theatre)
April 28: Milwaukee (Milwaukee Theatre)
April 29: Minneapolis (Orpheum Theatre)