No Jones Beach, or Tour, for Kelly

Jun 15, 09:19 AM

Current Headlines: By Glenn Gamboa, Newsday, Melville, N.Y.

Jun. 15--Kelly Clarkson canceled her summer tour yesterday, including a scheduled July 12 stop at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, saying that a tour on top of the release of her forthcoming album "My December" would be "too much, too soon."

"In the craziness of the music business, performing is what I look forward to doing the most, so it really is disappointing for me to have to tell you that I won't be coming out to tour this summer," Clarkson said on her Web site. "But I promise you that we're going to get back out there as soon as is humanly possible to give you a show that will be even better."

Clarkson was set to play amphitheaters this summer, as the original "American Idol" winner did last year after her multiplatinum "Breakaway" album. However, Michael Rapino, chief executive of LiveNation, said yesterday that the demand has not been as strong as last year. "Ticket sales have not been what we anticipated and we came to the realization that we had bit off more than we could chew," he said in a statement. Gregg Perloff, chief executive of Another Planet Entertainment, said Clarkson's fans "should look forward to seeing her in a more intimate concert environment."

The tour cancellation follows the Grammy winner's firing of her manager Jeff Kwatinetz earlier this week in the midst of a rumored rumble with RCA chief Clive Davis over her new album's commercial viability and her new, more rock-oriented direction. Clarkson's "My December" album is currently slated for a June 26 release and she is still scheduled to appear at the Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium on July 7. Her single "Never Again" is currently No. 17 on the Billboard charts after peaking at No. 7.

Ticket refunds are available from the point of purchase.

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