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Just give Mariah Carey a microphone and she'll either have a global
audience in stitches, like her now infamous acceptance speech at the
Palm Springs Film Festival where the superstar was slightly toasted, or
in complete awe, like she had the sold-out crowd during her "Angels
Advocate" tour stop at the Hard Rock Live in the Seminole Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL.
Descending from the stage in a glittered swing and wearing pounds of
tulle, Carey's opening was reminiscent of a birthday girl at an MTV "My
Super Sweet 16" party. But Carey, much like her very much self-aware
personality, is over-the-top when it comes to her look. Every dress
(she wore four) and heel sparkled. "Like the ensem?," she asked the
audience after changing into a new floor length gown.
Mariah delivered some of her biggest hits from her now, believe it
or not, twenty-year career. Her earliest material only came in a dancer
interlude for "Make it Happen" and her latest, the stunning "Memoirs of
an Imperfect Angel," was relegated to only four tracks. Otherwise, the
material mostly consisted of selections from "Butterfly" and on,
including Billboard's recently named Song of the Decade "We Belong
Together" and her latest hit "Obsessed." She also included some
discography highlights like the rousing gospel-influenced "Fly Like a
Bird" and the smooth jazz inflections of "Subtle Invitation."
But as engaging as any of her performances was Mariah's interaction
with the audience. She took a few times to joke about her
headline-making acceptance speech, although she did "lady-like sips" of
a glass of champagne for herself. "Because it's my stage and I can,"
she said. Before another song, she also had her make-up people come
onto the stage for retouching. "You know if it was you on stage, you'd
do it too," she joked.
Most importantly at a Mariah Carey show is the voice and she was
almost surprisingly pitch perfect. Just when you think there's some
playback assistance, she adds a run or changes the note to something
different from the album version. It's a lot more Mariah than some
naysayers might think. Check out her live sung introduction of
life-long backup singer Trey Lorenz which was both impressive singing
and hilarious.
Carey has never been the most exciting stage performer but leave the
tricks to the Britney's and the Gaga's. The diva delivered, giving
vocal performances of her biggest hits that hold up with any of her
performances in the past decade. She's also showing more of who Mariah
really is than ever, and for fans, that's an endearing treat.
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