First Posted: 3/15/2015

Kelly Clarkson is going on tour this summer. She insists that the concert is “a big show, vocally.” And thanks to a piece of information that Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler gave her about nine years ago, she also insists that performing on back-to-back nights is not her cup of tea.

“I remember when I first started out, my agents would be like, ‘Well this artist does four in a row!’” Clarkson recalled during an interview on “Ralphie Tonight.” The “Heartbeat Song” singer would reply with, “’Well, they’re dancing! So that’s real different, and that’s great for them. But I can’t do that.’”

Then one night, her and Tyler were conversing over the rigors of singing on the road, with Clarkson admitting that she was finding the schedule difficult on her voice.

“’Oh girl, I do too,’” Tyler told Clarkson. “’I only do one show, then one day off,’” the rocker continued.

That was the moment when the singer realized that she could exercise a little more control over her own schedule. But Clarkson went out of her way to note that her reasoning for the tour’s pacing has more to do with the fans than it does her or her newly expanded family.

“Vocally I have a very demanding show, so I don’t normally love to do back-to-back (dates),” she said. “I want to give (the audience) the best of me each show.”

Joining Clarkson on her 32 city North American trek will be acapella group Pentatonix and singer/songwriter Eric Hutchinson. The tour opens nearby on July 11 in Hershey. Clarkson will close out the dates nearby as well, with a September 20 show in Camden, N.J.

The concerts are in support of Clarkson’s sixth studio album “Piece By Piece,” which debuted atop the Billboard 200 earlier this month. After releasing a holiday LP in 2013, the former “American Idol” winner contemplated releasing separate pop and country albums last year.

“Well, I was creating life in 2014,” explained Clarkson of why the music had to wait. Understandably things were put on hold as she and husband Brandon Blackstock welcomed daughter River Rose in to the world. “But I did make both, and I’m still working on the (country) one.”

Clarkson also revealed that she is working on a pop/R&B album based off covers she has done on tour with her band. Both projects contrast the uptempo and modern sound of Clarkson’s latest release; a sound that certainly was better suited for a sooner-rather-than-later release.

“We had this really great pop project kind of just sitting here waiting and I was definitely ready to just get it out.”

And judging by the sales figures, Clarkson’s fans were more than ready to support it.