The world held its breath when the cause of Aretha Franklin’s canceled tour dates was said to be cancer. Now that she’s denied it and recovered from her undisclosed December surgery, we’re all breathing easy. So is she, apparently, as she’s scheduled her first public performances since recovering, and one of them is a freebie.

The Queen of Soul, who just celebrated her 69th birthday in New York, is set to play a free concert on June 24th at the TD Toronto Jazz Festival. She’ll be taking the Toronto Star Stage at Metro Square on the opening day of the fest, with the Toronto Jazz Festival Orchestra (directed by Guido Basso) backing her up and Jordan John & The Blues Angels as support.

Two dates for her May comeback have also been released – the 19th at the Chicago Theatre and the 28th in Niagara Falls. Grab tickets at Seatgeek, and stay tuned for more as it’s revealed. The Toronto Jazz Festival runs June 24th through July 3rd and features 1,500 musicians playing some 350 concerts at 40 locations.

Aretha Franklin 2011 Tour Dates:
05/19 – Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
05/28 – Niagara Falls, NY @ Seneca Niagara Events Center At Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel
06/24 – Toronto, ON @ Toronto Jazz Festival