On June 1, 2007, West made a surprise appearance at DJ Gomez Warren's set in Los Angeles to play "Can't Tell Me Nothing". West performed the song as part of his set at a concert of the Live Earth event in 2007, accompanied by a string section which included female members that wore exotic face paint. On July 7 of that year, West performed the song during his appearance at the Manchester Apollo for the Manchester International Festival. For S.O.B.'s impromptu jam session in Manhattan on July 18, 2007, hosted by Hot 97, West deliver a performance of the song. West performed a medley during his in-studio appearance for MTV's "Total Request Live" on August 10, 2007, which consisted of the song and fellow "Graduation" single "Stronger". On September 11 of that year, West transitioned from a snippet of the album's track "Champion" into a performance of "Can't Tell Me Nothing" when appearing on BET's "106 & Park". West performed the song to open the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards, surrounded by black-clad dancers who moved around similarly to ballerinas. At the launch party for the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX in Los Angeles' Griffith Park on October 17, 2007, West made a surprise appearance that included him performing the song.