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Fan Reviews
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Fan Reviews (Top)
Review by Eddy
The concert was amazing. I'm only gonna highlight on my favorite part which was... when Mariah sang "Hero". She was wearing her feather dress that dragged like the train on a wedding dress and she looked so beautiful. She surprised the lambs by singing "Hero" more intimate than any of them could imagine. She came down the stairs and sang "hero" to all the lambs that were near the stage.
Some of the lambs that were close enough handed Mariah sunflowers, gifts and things of that nature. Then Mariah came back onto the stage. And closed the concert up w/ her singing "Butterfly".
Journalist Reviews (Top)
Review by Leslie Gray Streeter (Palm Beach Post)
Carey confirms her diva-ness, makes rafters hum
"They call me a diva. I might as well act like one," Mariah Carey calmly explained as her hairdresser re-perfected her 'do, onstage and between songs at her elaborate, amazing Labor Day appearance at Fort Lauderdale's Broward Center.
Yes, it must be said that the ever-glittery Carey came equipped with your requisite accoutrements of diva-dom -- the scores of dancers, eight costume changes, that warm smile that says "I'll wait to speak until the adoring applause ceases," a complicated set and hordes of well-dressed fans screaming "Mariahweloveyouuuuuu!!!"
But there's supposed to be more to being a diva than a well-stocked staff of worshipers and attitude. "Diva" is an operatic term that refers to a singer of amazing talent and presence, of commanding voice and personality. This may inspire said singer to act high and mighty and start firing people at will, but the diva -- and her fans -- understand that her talent is the point.
Make no mistake. Mariah Carey's talent is the point, and it's a multi-octave, effortless wonder. And it was in full effect Monday night, in a production that was slightly overwrought, a wee self-referential but intensely human. It also helped that Carey, looking healthy and rested after her well-publicized emotional and career troubles, seemed to be enjoying herself. And that always makes a concert better.
Actually, maybe "concert" is too small a word for the grand production that Carey put on, on a pink-hued set that was equal parts Moulin Rogue and Circus Of The Stars. Backed up by a bevy of dancers, impressive backup singers, band and a clown (!), Carey took the stage in a protective cloud of bodyguards, trilling the upbeat Heartbreaker.
Right away, it was obvious that whatever emotional or mental issues the singer once had left her voice untouched. During Heartbreaker, she stepped to the edge of the stage, held her ear in a Carol Burnett-like stance and let loose with one of those rafter-scaling high notes she's known for. Those rafter-dwellers were on full display, through up-tempo hits like Dream Lover and Fantasy, as much as her less-celebrated but equally impressive lower range was during the torchy My All.
Pro that she is, Carey did a seamless job of weaving her considerable cadre of hits like Always Be My Baby in with such new material as the faith-protesting My Saving Grace and the recent hit Through The Rain. In fact, it was her turn on Through The Rain, a seemingly treacly ballad she described as "a song about pressing on," that showcased why Mariah Carey's not fading into that good night anytime soon.
Lyrics like "I can make it through the rain, I can stand up once again/On my own and I know that I'm strong enough to mend" sound saccharine on the radio. But settled into a plush red chair, Carey closed her eyes, clenched her fist and opened a vein -- and the tabloid memories of her bad marriage, career downturns and public freak-outs all came pouring into her voice.
Simultaneously vulnerable and steely, Carey rose for the key change and planted her feet like she was willing the strength of the words into life, as her singers' voices melded like a church choir behind her. The crowd applauded adoringly. The diva paused and smiled.
If getting your hair checked onstage ensures a show as vocally satisfying and sweet as this one, I'm all for installing a salon next to the drum kit at every concert I attend.
Review by Evelyn McDonell (The Miami Herald)
Mariah brings her circus to town, but the music becomes just a sideshow
When Mariah Carey took the stage Monday night at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts surrounded by dancers dressed as clowns in front of a circus backdrop, the question was: Was she there as the queen of the tonsil trapeze, or to star in the freak show?
Carey became the top-selling female star of the 1990s primarily thanks to multi-octave vocal acrobatics. She, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion virtually created the juggernaut vocal style that tends to value technical virtuosity over pathos, drama over depth.
But since she had a public breakdown in 2001 and got dumped by her record company, Carey has aroused as much prurient curiosity as fan interest. The career turnaround has her reduced to playing theaters. On the other hand, the Broward Center was filled with fans whose cheers indicated they love Carey through sunshine and Through the Rain (as one song says).
Carey worked the circus imagery (same theme, by the way, ex-beau Eminem used for his last tour). For one number, a clown performed a crazy loose-limbed dance while controlled by strings held by men in suits, as dollar signs flashed on a screen.
But it's hard to feel a great deal of sympathy for Carey as a puppet. She married her Svengali, record mogul Tommy Mottola, of her own free will, and rode his largess through a stunning streak of No. 1 singles. Her songs have been more of the -- and I quote -- ''I need you so desperately'' type plea than You Don't Own Me declarations. Not to mention that one of Carey's selling points has always been that she writes most of her own material. Mariah controlled by marionettes? I doubt it.
`SAVING GRACE'
She has always worked a survivalist streak: the biracial daughter of divorce whose voice was her salvation. But when she sings breathy, little-girl falsettos, it's hard to see her as an icon of strength. Resilience, yes: ''My saving grace pulls me through,'' she sang on a song from her last album, Charmbracelet.
My Saving Grace makes explicit the gospel underpinnings to Carey's vocal style. Monday night, she drew heavily on the over-the-top ballads that make her an American Idol contestant favorite, and little on the hip-hop and pop collaborations for which she helped create a radio format. When she did play more dance-oriented numbers, the beat was often lethargic.
Music was a second thought in the almost two-hour show. Carey paid more attention to her eight tight-fitting costumes and tiresome dance skits. She appeared on stage about 15 seconds for her latest hit, I Know What You Want, with rapper Busta Rhymes: just long enough to show off her biker tube top and cutoffs number. The rest of the song unfolded as a video screened on curtains, with more ersatz choreography.
For much of the show, the band was hidden behind curtains. The sweetest part of the evening was when Carey sang little introductions about each of her players, including a wonderfully told story about the backing singer whose husband has a wandering eye. It was a modest, uncanned segment, absent of dancers. More singing like this please, Mariah, and fewer outfits.
DAMAGED VOICE
The last player Carey introduced was a special guest: Trey Lorenz, the singer she first collaborated with in '92. They performed their cover of the Jackson 5's I'll Be There. He then sang one overly long number himself. Unfortunately, Lorenz's full tones showed how strained Carey's voice is.
The band intros demonstrated that if Carey relaxed with her vocals, instead of trying to fill each song with flips and cartwheels, she could be an entertaining song stylist. But by trying to always do it all, Carey winds up doing little at all. Her voice is as damaged as her reputation; it's nowhere near as big as the sound she would like to create, and as the drama that surrounds her.
Beautiful, talented, eager to please, Carey wants desperately to be America's sweetheart. Perhaps she has tried too hard. With her theatrics and her sometimes hyperfemininity, she veers dangerously close to a camp parody of herself. On Always Be My Baby, for instance, she wore hot pink shorts while her dancers threw beach balls. A drag queen, at least, would probably be more fun.
Meet & Greet Reviews (Top)
Review by Eddy
Then finally the moment came... The concert was over. So, all the lambs that had Guest/After Show passes met near the front of the stage. And we waited there until we were excorted down this hallway. Where we waited for appx. 10 minutes. Then they excorted us down to this other room. There her entourage was there. And I recognized all of them and took pictures w/ them all.
I actually recognized her personal body-guard Wayne. And asked him for a favor. And he then granted me what I asked for. I asked him if my friend's mom that came with us to the concert. If she could come backstage and meet Mariah as well. And he said "yes". So then we waited in this room where there was food and drinks. And of course I took pictures w/ Kristopher (her make-up artist), Blair (her stylist), Wayne (her personal body-guard), Michael (her tour manager), and her hair-dresser was the only one where I didn't get a picture. And that was because I had my camera in my pocket. And he walked by so fast where it was to late. But atleast I saw him. It was awesome.
Anyways... the moment finally came where I got to meet Mariah backstage. And they excorted us in. And we all gathered around Mariah as we took the picture for the site. And then they asked us to form a line. So while everyone did that. I looked at Mariah and said "Mariah, I have your fanbracelet book for Ft. Lauderdale, Florida". And she replied "you do". So then I showed her the book. And went through each and every page showing her all the hard work I put into the book.
I then looked at her and told her how much her music has gotten me through my toughest times. And how her "Can't Take That Away" song is the "theme song" of my life. I then was excorted out of the room. And I waited until they opened the door again where I could peak through. And then I saw other lambs getting autographs. So I asked the guy letting the people out... "Can I go back in and get my stuff autographed?" And he said "Not right now." So I waited until he excorted me back in.
So I was the last person to talk to her in our group. I had her autograph my "rainbow" record, my "butterfly" record, my poster, and my Music Box Tour shirt. And what a night I had. That was the second time I met Mariah. And this time I wasn't to nervouse and got everything off my chest. I love Mariah so much and will always love Mariah.
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