Originally a large-scale summer tour timed to coincide with the June 2007 availability of the album, public career battles and poor ticket sales in North America led Clarkson to cancel it before it began.

A considerably smaller-scale tour commenced in September 2007 and ran to April 2008, with the international legs in Europe and Australia remaining at arena venues.

[7] Tickets went on sale on May 12 and prospects for the tour got caught up in Clarkson's very public career drama concerning the contents and commercial potential of My December, her relations with record company boss Clive Davis, and her falling out with her own management.

[8][9][10] On Thursday, June 14, the tour was cancelled per Clarkson's official website, with her statement saying: I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to getting out there to perform for y'all.

The only public performances to survive the tour cancellation were her five-song set at the Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium on July 7, 2007, and various promotional appearances on morning and late-night television programs in conjunction with the album's release.

The singles from My December had gotten a somewhat better reception in Australia than in the U.S., and Clarkson was following the strategy of scheduling dates there that the Dixie Chicks had following for their similarly sales-challenged Accidents & Accusations Tour of 2006.

The show began with a stage tableau of the cover of the My December album, complete with staircase laced with gnarly tree branches and Clarkson sitting in the big red dress[19] while the band was frozen like mannequins.

[20] Clarkson immediately shed the bulky red dress, however, and performed in an understated black pants and back top outfit.

The single encores segment began with a respectfully delivered "Sober" followed by the informal "Chivas" and then her biggest hit, "Since U Been Gone",[20] the last of which typically featured sing-alongs or dancing fans pulled up on stage.

Rock critic Greg Kot analyzed the show as portraying three possible career paths for Clarkson: Goth vixen, pop princess, and ballad singer.