Opening Act: N/A

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. Can't Let Go (Snippet)
15. Thank God I Found You/Make It Last (Snippet)
16. One Sweet Day (Snippet)
17. Hero
---Encore:
18. We Belong Together
19. Butterfly Reprise

Audio Files (MP3):
01. "Life Can Be Kinda Like A Rollercoaster Ride"
02. It's Like That
03. Heartbreaker
04. Dreamlover
05. My All
06. Shake It Off
07. Vision of Love
08. Fly Like a Bird
09. I'll Be There
10. Trey Lorenz Solo Medley
11. Fantasy
12. Don't Forget About Us
13. Always Be My Baby
14. Honey
15. I Wish You Knew (Snippet)
16. Can't Let Go (Snippet)
17. Thank God I Found You/Make It Last (Snippet)
18. One Sweet Day (Snippet)
19. Hero
20. We Belong Together
21. Butterfly Reprise

From Las Vegas Review-Journal: 'M' is for mammoth vocals, show

Carey -- her nimble voice captivating -- performs for thousands at MGM Grand

Mariah Carey opened wide and sang like she had a bullhorn stuck in her throat, her voice barreling from her lungs as if it was fired from a slingshot.

"Ahhh-ah! Ahhh-ah! Ahhh-ah! Hee! Hee! Hee!" she trilled, stretching the notes as if they were made of soft taffy, indulging in vocal acrobatics like an auctioneer in hot pants.

Too much is never enough at a Mariah Carey gig, where ostentation rules -- vocally and otherwise -- and even the glittery mic stands look like they cost more than your house.

And Carey is the first to acknowledge as much.

At the MGM Grand on Saturday, she anointed the night "diva Las Vegas," reveling in her own fabulousness before one of her deejays laid down some ground rules.

"All the ugly people be quiet," DJ Suss One instructed, silencing anyone who didn't sparkle like Carey's golden microphone.

Of course, beauty is only skin deep, and so are most of Carey's tunes. She specializes in lithe pop pep talks about overcoming this obstacle or that, employing birds and butterflies as metaphors for love.

But if her songs often seem as if they were spun from cotton candy, Carey's jet engine voice aims to supply any missing heft. She sings the way a hotshot guitarist races up and down the fret board, supplying more fireworks than a dozen Fourth of Julys.

On this night, Carey sang like a newborn emotes: loudly, freely and occasionally uncontrollably. She tore into early hit "Vision of Love" so forcefully that you could practically see the veins bulge in her neck as her voice leapt from one octave to the next. And on the soaring "Fly Like A Bird," she scatted feverishly over some dense percussion.

For all her enviable range however, Carey's at her best when she harnesses her voice into a breathy purr, like on the come-hither ballad "My All" or with the nimble pop funk of "It's Like That."

But Carey just seems to naturally gravitate toward the larger than life, and the production values of her current tour are as outsized as her voice. She performs on a stage backed by a towering illuminated "M," with her nickname, "Mimi," spelled out in giant white lights.

At the MGM Grand, even the crowd was star studded: Carey was joined onstage from time to time by hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri, who was in town, and there were other celebrities in the stands, such as rapper Bow Wow, "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson and producer Jimmy Jam.

But for all the big names and fancy props, the best moments of the night were the smaller, more intimate ones, such as when Carey sang a trio of songs from a checkered square stage set up in the middle of the arena, ending with a climactic take on "Always Be My Baby," which she finished on her knees.

Too bad then, that the show was slowed down by a pair of DJ interludes -- as well as a meandering suite of songs from backup singer Trey Lorenz -- which were meant to kill time while Carey underwent her four different wardrobe changes.

The evening suffered from this uneven momentum.

"Sometimes, life can be like a roller coaster," Carey announced during a taped intro to the show, and the same could be said of her concerts.

Attendance: 13,500 (sold out)

Grade: B


From The Rebel Yell: Pop singer returns

"Life is kinda like a rollercoaster," began the taped introduction of Mariah Carey's sold-out Sept. 30 concert for The Adventures of Mimi: the Voice, the Hits, the Tour in the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

When the superstar hit the stage at 8:53 p.m., after opening act Sean Paul failed to appear and the audience just sat for an hour, the ride finally began.

Mariah popped onto the bi-level stage wearing a black cape, a midriff-baring black top and tiny black shorts. During the opening verse of "It's Like That," she yelled, "What's up Vegas?" to a crowd that erupted in screams almost as high-pitched as the high notes for which she is famous.

After she breezed through a subsequent remix of "Dreamlover," she welcomed her fans to her fourth concert in Las Vegas. She also welcomed rapper and producer Jermaine Dupri, who performed the first song of the night with her, and mentioned the presence of rapper Bow Wow and producer Jimmy Jam.

"I don't want anyone to get mobbed," she added, "but there's also someone in the crowd with the initials J.J." The crowd exploded with applause and heads turned in all directions looking for Janet Jackson, the superstar who had accompanied boyfriend Jermaine Dupri to the event.

After a wardrobe change, the show went on with Mariah's transition into her debut single "Vision of Love," which came surprisingly early in the concert. Midway through the performance, she lost her earpiece and did a second a cappella run of the song's melismatic bridge.

The brisk, but not rushed, pace of the concert showed Mariah has grown from her previous Vegas performances. Gone were the pointless skits that dominated the "Charmbracelet" tour I saw in July 2003. Gone was the needless guest appearance of Jack, Mariah's terrier, attacking a water bottle, which perplexed me during the Rainbow tour in 2000. This more mature Mariah was all business, all music, and – best of all – all live.

Mariah's voice was strong for her Las Vegas performance. Even the usually softer parts of her songs were sung in full voice and she often ventured into her lower register for an added twist.

At the introduction of her gospel ballad "Fly Like A Bird," she announced, "I know we're in Sin City and all … and this may not be the most demure ensemble you've ever seen, but sometimes you've got to mix it up to get the message across." Pastor Clarence Keaton, who is featured on this record, was not in attendance for the Las Vegas performance after a few incidences of absenteeism on his part in previous tour stops.

Peppering in her old hits, Mariah also sang a snippet of "Can't Let Go."

"That one kinda broke my streak of number ones," she muttered into the microphone, afterwards. "But I'm not bitter!"

She brought out Trey Lorenz for their early 90s remake of "I'll Be There," by the Jackson 5. "Even the old folks know this one," Mariah said. Lorenz said he wasn't in his usual voice, after a night of poker and drinks, so as a duo they invited the crowd to sing most of the song.

As Mariah changed clothes, Trey Lorenz did a tribute to Luther Vandross, with "Never Too Much," "A House is Not a Home" and then broke into an unexpected version of pop-group Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy."

Mariah performed on a second stage, then returned to the main stage to sing "Hero." She thanked the crowd and said good night around 10:15, but every true fan knew she was planning an encore. She returned to perform an amazing "We Belong Together" and a reprise of "Butterfly" to conclude. With that, the rollercoaster ride came to an end.

By Keith:
I saw your concert last night, it was the first time I have seen you live. Your songs have been going through my head all night. My favorite is Dream Lover. You are the best female singer in the world today and I am so thankful I got the opportunity to see you live. I could tell you put your heart into your music. I also loved how you sang on the stage in the middle of your fans so that we could be closer to you. I have never been to a concert were a star has done that before. I can relate to you words "if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger" that is my favorite saying and I have had to live my life the same way. I am one of the lucky people on this earth who has been blessed with never gone hungry never been abused and I have made my life what it is today a happy one. You and your music make my life better and I thank you for that and I wish you happiness and good health. I do not know if I will ever get to see you in concert again but I will remember last n! ight for the rest of my life.


By Daniel:
TAOM is an amazing show. The video screens, MC's VOICE!!!, her fly figure... all of that and the show! Damn. I loved it. This was MC at her very best, the top of her game. Vegas - they piped MC tunes throughtout the casino all night; before, and after the concert. I know because after 14,000 people were leaving, I stayed to play the slots. MC all night in the casino, while I carried my limited edition MC canvas print everywhere. I had dancefloor VIP section (B Stage) up-close. I thought I'd share the photos. We got Janet Jackson to wave (she was right behind our section) and Jermain Dupri, when not performing, made it back to be next to Janet. During DJ Clue's intermission mixing, JD was out of his seat and so was Lil Bow Wow. They were rockin to the mix. Janet was wearing a black cowl, but everyone knew who she was. I got her to smile at me and wave!