The Music Box tour somehow marked Mariah Carey’s debut as public performer. Carey had avoided public singing due to stage fright. Mariah’s most renowned performances were short concerts for television specials which, although exposing her talent to public judgment, also provided her with a somehow controlled environment. Her legendary MTV Unplugged performance and the intimate performance at New York’s Proctor's Theatre, which aired as an NBC television special, proved she was not a product created in the studio.

In late 1993, Mariah, leaving her insecurities behind, hit the road with her first tour to promote Music Box. Because Mariah had become the biggest selling female artist of the moment, the tour would be a major production consisting of colossal arenas. The first concert at the Miami Arena gathered 15,000 fans. The insecurities were not necessarily gone and, according to some critics who bashed Carey’s performance, her performance was weak. Being Carey’s first real concert, media was especially interested. When Carey went back to her hotel room, she discovered that the reviews were harmfully negative.

Carey catalyzed the negativity surrounding the first concert to improve her following performance at the Worcester Centrum; Mariah turned the tables, getting fantastic reviews. The Boston Globe referred to Mariah’s concert as "a spectacular performance.” The review also claimed that the concert “bowled over the crowd with a confidence that grew before their very eyes… [and Mariah] shook off her nervousness at the start." After a positive critical reception, Mariah closed the tour at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The concert mostly had positive reviews, including a praising review from Jon Pareles of The New York Times. Mariah would bring another tour to America seven years later with the Rainbow World Tour.