Simple Minds this week announced its first North American tour in 11 years, a surprisingly short 7-date trek that has left fans who don’t live in Los Angeles or the Northeast severely disappointed. Frontman Jim Kerr, though, says the band is testing the waters for a larger tour.

Simple Minds today officially announced their first U.S. concerts in more than a decade — the New York City show we reported earlier this week, plus a second concert in Red Bank, N.J., that will feature the band’s “Greatest Hits+” show — while also hinting that Canadian dates are to be announced soon as well.

For the past few months, Simple Minds have been dropping hints that the band will return to the U.S. and Canada this year for the first time in more than a decade — and we’ve finally got our first confirmation of what presumably will be a lengthier tour. According to Live Nation, Simple Minds will play New York City on Oct. 24.

Simple Minds continue to toy with the emotions of their long-suffering North American fans, hinting that the band is set to finally tour the U.S. and Canada for the first time in more than a decade, pronouncing this morning via the group’s Facebook page that such concerts may be coming “sooner than you might think.”

Simple Minds fans living in North America have been a patient lot, as the band hasn’t toured here in more than a decade. But there is renewed hope today, thanks to a message that reveals the group plans to record music this summer and “hopefully” will tour the U.S. and Canada this fall.

Simple Minds will embark next week on an extensive U.K. tour in support of the band’s forthcoming ‘Celebrate — The Greatest Hits+’ best-0f collection but fans in that country will get another chance to see the band come November, when Jim Kerr and Co. play four arena dates with special guest Ultravox.