Opening Act: Busta Rhymes

01. It's Like That
02. Heartbreaker
03. Dreamlover
04. My All
05. Shake It Off
06. Vision of Love
07. Fly Like a Bird
08. I'll Be There
---"B" Stage:
09. Fantasy
10. Don't Forget About Us
11. Always Be My Baby
---End "B" Stage
12. Honey
13. I Wish You Knew (Snippet)
14. One Sweet Day (Snippet)
15. Hero
---Encore:
16. We Belong Together
17. Butterfly Reprise

Video Clips
01. It's Like That - AVI
02. Heartbreaker - AVI
03. Dreamlover - AVI
04. My All - AVI
05. Shake It Off - AVI
06. Vision of Love - AVI
07. Fly Like a Bird - AVI
08. I'll Be There - AVI
09. Fantasy
10. Don't Forget About Us - AVI
11. Always Be My Baby
12. Honey
13. I Wish You Knew (Snippet)
14. One Sweet Day (Snippet)
15. Hero
16-17. We Belong Together, Butterfly Reprise - AVI

From The Calgary Sun: Diva at the 'Dome

Mariah Carey certainly loves herself. Or, at least, she desperately wants the world to think she does.

How else could you explain the over-the-top diva screaming “Look at me! Look at me! Oh, pleeeease look at me!”) at the ‘Dome Sept. 25?

It was not a concert, but rather a Vegas-style circus, opening with a short film in which Mariah talks about, you guessed it, herself.

Comparing her life to a roller coaster, Carey declared: “If you don’t get on the ride, you won’t experience the adventure.”

The aging pop princess made her grand entrance on a rising platform, dressed only in a black bra, matching panties, stilettos and a cape draped around her shoulders before breaking into It’s Like That.

Yes, it was apparent from the very start, this was going to be an evening less about Carey’s massive catalogue of hits and more about creating a spectacle only Madonna could best.

The M-shaped stage followed the gaudy theme with silver beads hanging from the second tier, a ramp and staircases down both sides, giant video screens (which depicted real and cartoon images of the main attraction — Mariah) and a massive, shining Mimi marquee.

Then there were the dancers, band members and backup singers — all convenient distractions when the superstar needed to take a vocal break or change into one of her famous, barely-there costumes.

But, unfortunately, they also overshadowed Carey’s best attribute — her pipes.

It is almost impossible to find a singer in today’s world of manufactured Idols who compares to the 36-year-old in terms of her vocal range, power and technical abilities.

As Carey belted out the high notes during her performances of Heartbreaker and Dreamlover, even the most cynical of those in attendance (A.K.A. husbands dragged there by their wives) had to be impressed.

These were the moments that made the glitter and glitz tolerable. These were the moments when the star of the show was truly shining.

For the most part, Carey looked comfortable and confident, a feeling no doubt bolstered by the near-capacity crowd and she really seemed to connect with her audience.

“The shows I’ve been doing in Canada have been some of the most fun shows on the tour,” she told her screaming fans.

In true diva fashion, Carey hit the stage late, but according to her set list, the rest of the show was to include a number of her radio hits such as Fantasy, Always Be My Baby, Honey and We Belong Together.

Regardless of which of her famous songs she belted out Sept. 25, it appeared her die-hard fans would have been ecstatic with just about anything she gave them.

As for the rest of us, we can only hope next time Carey makes a pit stop in Calgary, she leaves the bells, whistles and porn-star duds at home and gives her fans what they deserve — a great concert highlighting her incredible vocal skills and career.

As for opener Busta Rhymes, the rapper seemed an odd fit for this concert.

Considering most of the people in attendance last night were obviously there for Carey and her special brand of pretty pop songs and slow ballads, Busta just didn’t seem to fit in.

But he did try, by performing a number of age-appropriate tunes including a cover of the Pussycat Dolls’ Don’t Cha and his past hit Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.


From The Calgary Herald: Bloated Mariah show needed more music

Costume changes can't hide average vocals

When she finally hit the stage, close to an hour after her opening act had left it, 36-year-old Mariah Carey came out in revealing black lingerie to her hip-hop single It's Like That, and you couldn't help but wonder why she was trying so hard to be young and sexy when her audience is so, well, middle-aged and female.

And while we're griping, when did the word "diva" become a good thing? When did we collectively decide to pay this much respect (and hard earned money) to an entitled princess with one talent? Why did 12,000 dedicated fans wait an hour for Mariah?

Don't get me wrong. Carey -- who composes her own material, has a five-octave voice and had a No. 1 single in every year of the '90s -- deserves to be a star.

I respect her talent and like her on CD.

But her live show is a lesson in excess, a calvacade of smoke and mirrors meant to distract from her tiny presence on a grand stage, a five-course place setting for gazpacho. Any momentum she wrung from her pipes was constantly disrupted by unnecessary costume changes, and instead of more material, we were treated to silhouetted dance routines and snippets of '80s pop from DJ Clue.

And those pipes, which sound as honeyed as her skin on record, sounded fairly average here, nothing you wouldn't hear on American Idol.

When she tried vocal gymnastics to hit those high shrieks, they sounded like wet fingerprints on clean glass, a mosquito stuck in a belljar.

Carey did have some decent versions of A Vision Of Love, Fly Like A Bird and Fantasy, and because she came out late, I couldn't see or hear, but know that she also performed Hero, Make It Happen and We Belong Together. But mostly The Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, The Hits, The Tour was as bloated as the title and is in need of a few tweaks to become a much better show.

Divas, please. How about you ladies all stay in that one costume you started the concert in and maybe sing us a couple of extra songs instead?

No one's going, "Well, for $109.50, I better see her in five different looks" (or maybe you are, in which case, stop ruining it for fans of music).

Opener Busta Rhymes was his usual killer self, treating the audience to his mile-a-minute gruff rhymes on tracks such as Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See, Break Ya Neck, Fire It Up and Pass The Courvasier.

The fact that he managed to squeeze out a standing ovation from an audience of mostly unfamiliar Mariah Carey fans is a testament to the Brooklyn rapper's talent.

Attendance: About 12,000