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Fan Reviews
Journalist Reviews
Meet & Greet Reviews
Fan Reviews (Top)
Review by Undray
Ok, i know everyone is going to read all these reviews that really arent any different from the others. all i am going to say is that her voice was really strong on every song. also, for CTTA and MIH she did the the versions she did at Diva's Live. also, she performed TTR like she did on the AMA's. big nastys song was really nice. all 4 of mariah's back up singers are REALLY good. the show was pretty much the same as all the others. she really showed what she was made of in the end of VOL though. she had so much power, yet so much control. MPP did not even ask if we had cameras, once the show started people were taking pictures however, because i was so close, the venue staff had a great view of me. my friend keith got spoken to once about his camera but did not get it taken away and he was sitting 3 seats down from me. so after the first ensemble she wore i did not take anymore pics untill Fantasy, and then VOL and Hero. Hero was the last song she sang and i got cought trying to get a picture. being so close it was not easy to get good shots believe it or not. a few people had signs and sunflowers, i myself had gone sunflower picking eariler that after noon too. everyone had thier hands up and since standing on a chair would draw attention to me, espically if i was taking pictures i would surely get cought. the only reason i got the ones i did was because i had it behind my sunflower when i was taking them.
She did sing in full voice, with no problem in any of the songs she used it in. when songs like TTR, MSG, and CTTA, and MIH were on i was just in my own little world, i had no idea what was going on around me. i admit i did get teary-eyed for MSG and CTTA. She even dropped to her knees at the end of CTTA.
Journalist Reviews (Top)
Review by David Segal (Washington Post)
The Diva's Second Act
Mariah Carey, Back In Good Form
Mariah Carey strutted to the stage of Merriweather Post Pavilion Tuesday night like a boxer on the way to a pay-per-view brawl. Surrounded by stern-looking bodyguards, she walked down an aisle and past a few hundred gaping fans, a spotlight following her every step. She looked tanned, fit and ready to throttle a few ballads until they begged for mercy.
The source of this bravado? Hard to know, but by the zero-sum logic of divadom, Ms. Mariah is having a fabulous week. Her main competitor, J. Lo, is reeling from the cinematic stinker "Gigli," which has been befouling theaters since the weekend. The reviews and box office are bad enough to rival "Glitter," the cinematic star vehicle that Carey crashed two years ago, briefly trapping her career in a steaming wreck. Before she could wobble from the debris, Virgin, her label at the time, announced that it would rather pay her a $28 million kiss-off fee than release another of her albums. Around the same time, there was a semi-coherent cameo on MTV's "Total Request Live" and Carey was soon under what the tabloids tastefully called "psychiatric care."
But this five-octave beauty wasn't the best-selling female artist of the '90s for nothing. Signed to a new label and back on tour, Carey on Tuesday night was once again a bombshell coquette with a supernaturally supple voice and a smile that says "All this, pour moi?" At moments she leaned too heavily on a large cast of backup singers and dancers, who occasionally made the performance seem like a summer stock musical. But whatever the cause -- steely professionalism, newfound confidence, "Gigli" -- Carey looked and sounded radiant.
The crowd on hand was ardent but underwhelming. The lawn at Merriweather was virtually empty and there were dozens of empty seats in the amphitheater. Originally this tour was intended for arenas, but that plan was scrapped, if we are to believe Mariah's camp, after a fan posting on her Web site pleaded for something more intimate. Mediocre sales of her last album, "Charmbracelet," might have something to do with it, too. Just over 1 million copies have been sold, a fraction of her most popular work in the '90s -- and a fraction of what's being sold by the likes of Ashanti, Beyonce and others.
The unbridled narcissism of this performance was part of its charm. Carey changed costumes eight times, showing up finally in pigtails, a white T-shirt and pink shorts -- Dorothy if she were raised in a mall instead of Kansas. Dancers swarmed around when she first climbed onstage, pretending to snap her photo like a pack of paparazzi. Another acted as though he were painting her portrait. When she needed a sip of tea, a glass was raised to her lips so she could sip from a straw.
This would seem insufferable but for a vulnerability about Carey that is ultimately humanizing. It's as though her psyche could burst like a piņata at any moment. Nearly every song she sang pushed the same theme: Ignore the haters, believe in yourself, strive for your goals. Oh, another thing: Ignore the haters, believe in yourself, strive for your goals. It's the gospel of Oprah, repeated at length, set to majestic crescendos and drama-filled key changes. At times, it got out of hand.
On "Can't Take That Away" Carey ended up on her knees, fluttering her hand next to her head, as if she were conducting an orchestra in her noggin -- a move that's been stolen by dozens of "American Idol" contestants. For "Subtle Invitation" she was lowered from the ceiling in the middle of a huge silken sash, and once on the ground she strode toward the crowd and waved her hands in a stricken, over-emotive frenzy. If that was acting -- and let's hope it was -- those "Glitter" reviews were generous.
Carey's voice is so strong that it doesn't need histrionics. On "Hero," which was among her last numbers, she barely moved, which enhanced the song's power. And she did Def Leppard proud with a version of the English metal band's "Bringin' On the Heartbreak," turning down the emotional volume of the tune and discovering a dignity in the song that was buried by screaming guitars in the original. The Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" was sampled for "Fantasy," the best of a handful of party tunes, and one that found Carey lap-dancing a backup dancer.
She was gone for long stretches of the last half-hour of this 100-minute-plus show, yielding the stage to her quartet of vocalists for a while and keeping a low profile through various video snippets and production numbers. Maybe she needed a rest. Maybe she was having trouble getting out of a gown. But she finished strong, gushing thank yous in a Long Island accent and beaming like a bantamweight who'd shaken off an eight-count and finally landed some uppercuts.
Meet & Greet Reviews (Top)
Review by Undray
We waited about 15 minutes after the show to get to the meet and greet. once inside this trailer type thing that was connected to the building, there were about 50 people in it for various reasons who were going to meet mariah as well. her body guards were everywhere too. as soon as i walked in it was still a bit quiet and as soon as i saw trey i yelled "nuh-onh IS THAT BIG-NASTY" and he was like "AWW WHASSSSSSUP!!!!?" then he told me to come over to him and say hi and said "SEE NOW THESE ARE THE REAL FANS RIGHT HERE!" i was one of the few with my HBF shirt on and he asked why no one else really had thiers on. some did but not all. and then, i showed him the maryland fanbook and he wanted me to stand there with him and look through it. so he did, and he was skimming someones letter and saw his name and preceeded to talk about it. turns out it was my friend jeff who wrote the letter and jeff was also at the meet and greet so i told trey to yell for him and he did and jeff came and said hi. then trey said lets get a picture so then my friend catie took our picture and i took hers with him. AND THEN, i asked trey when his album was coming out and he was like "well man, when da moneys good!" i was like "aight" and then he and i sang I'll BE THERE" TOGETHER like the entire chrous! and he was like "your good, don't be tryin' to steel my job now" and i laughed, so then i moved over to Tatum Tots, and i huged her and talked to her and she was so down to earth and nice just like big-nasty. her and i talked for a moment and got a picture, then i went back over to trey.
Before either of them left i gave mary-anne another hug and trey i shook his hand. well then it was almost time for mariah. once the fanclub members got to see her we came in and was told we could only bring one thing for her to sign. i waited patiently, and then preceeded to give her a small GREATEST HITS poster for her to sign, little did she know she was signing right over the fanbook, once she was done i told her it was her fanbook and she had a big grin and said "thank ya much" and then told me she was going to announce it on the site and leave a message possibly for me and the rest of the maryland fans. we all talked to her together for a minute or so and then took our group picture. everyone had crowed around her b4 me so i was trying to push to get to stand next to her and then this body guard pulled me away and said "come with me i know just the place for you" and i was so mad cuz i thought he was going to kick me out but instead he took me ALLLLLLLL the way around the crowed and placed me right in front of mariah. i turned my head up and looked her str8 in the eyes and told her to rub my head cuz i got it shaved just for her and she did and i think in the HBF group photo that her hand is sitting on my head but i'm not sure. mariah is incredibly beautiful and looks just like a barbie doll. i dunno after the pic i got a hug and then we just left and me and some lambs went to dennys afterwards and ate and talked. it was all surreal and i can't believe it's over.
Review by Jeff
Ok so forget that I was trying desperately to go to he Mariah Carey concert in Columbia Maryland @ the Merriweather Post Pavilion, forget that I have the greatest neighbor in the world that help my dream of seeing Mariah in concert come true, forget that the day before the concert Ricky Fritter made my dream come true by offering an extra backstage pass to me...I owe him like for an eternity, forget that I had to deal with flying for the first time from VA to Baltimore International Airport and took a Private car to the Columbian Mall (cause no one in my family or friends would take the time to help me out) and met with a group of fans who all walked to the concert, forget that I was the one who asked for a Promotional Charmbracelet display @ Sam Goody and received one while others from my table scurried up to get the last ones but were not able to because they were rejected by the staff who lied and said "we did not give anything to anyone today", forget I had a great time with all the lambs I met, forget that I am one of the most notoriously obsessed fans in the world!, forget that semi-good comedian who was her opening act, forget that her concert was the BEST in the universe!, forget that I got a meet & greet pass and met Mariah and her crew of backup singers and other close friends....hold the phone back up, rewind, stop, play...
YES I met the worlds best-selling female recording artist in history!!! aka forget that the security guards don't like to talk and that it is their job to be complete jerks who would not even talk to me let alone laugh at my remark of "how does it feel to be the highest paid person who opens and closes the door for a celebrity feel"- from a VH1 show where they were laughing and joking around, but I guess you can't be that way on tour!
It was unbelievable after the show which was spine-tingling and basically on the same lines as the others as you have read, Can't Take That Away was the "chosen song" from that state by votes.
It was amazing I was sitting in the first row ready to go backstage, I was pushed for time cause My private car was suppose to pick me up @ 11:30, and I had exactly one hour to meet my idol who I spent $109 in merchandise on! The ten of us went back and we entered a indoor screen room with all her backup singers, security guards and friends, to me it was not nerve wracking, or butterflies in my stomach, honestly, it was like being with true friends and family, even when I met Mariah herself!
Anyway Trey, Mary Ann, Sherry and Takeytha were exquisite to meet, like I said it wasnt nerve wracking at all, just cool, fun, and a new life experience I will never forget! Then I was in the first or second group in line to meet with Mariah, when it was our turn I went up to her calmly and said "hey MonarC, the album is great and the concert was excellent", and in reply she said,"thanx, you were a wonderful crowd, your eyes are pretty, I love that color", then I asked if she could do me the honor of seeing my promotional thing I got from Sam Goodys and she did- we were only allowed one signing and ABSOLUTELY NO CAMERAS OUT!
Then I got my million dollar hug and we had to get together for the picture, i am the one on the very end of one of them with a green plaid looking shirt with spiked hair, and that was basically it and as I exited the room she said "thanx you guys for coming out, I UV ya" and that my friends, the moment out of the room was when the "SHOCK AND AWL" began lol. To this minute of writing this and looking down @ my merchandise and autograph which I have to get framed, I still can't believe any of this happened! I stayed up all night @ the airport looking @ the tour book and the sexy photos inside! It was the best night of my life and I know that somewhere "up there" as they say, this was meant to happen and I'm glad that it was me! If you missed the concert you missed one hell of a night! It truly was intimate and worth every penny of the total amount of about $520 spent for everything! Thank Mariah and THANX A BUNCH TO RICKY.....I OWE YOU!
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