Opening Act: Sean Paul
Special Guests: Jay-Z, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Da Brat,
    Jadakiss, Styles P

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
18. Make It Happen
---Encore:
19. We Belong Together
20. Butterfly Reprise

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

From Newsday: Mariah hits the Garden, just like that

Appearing on a highly stylized, Art Deco stage set, Mariah Carey kicked off her sold-out concert Wednesday night with "It's Like That," from her blockbuster new album, "The Emancipation of Mimi." Clearly, one thing Carey has been emancipated from is her clothes.

Even by Carey's standards, her outfit was revealing: black, bikini-style lingerie wrapped in a sheer, billowing cape and high heels to match. Carey has been promising spectacle on this tour, and she obviously meant to deliver.

The concert marked the first of three area dates for Carey (she's scheduled to play Continental Airlines Arena Sunday and Jones Beach Sept. 3). It also helped mark a new phase in her career. Once a soft pop singer, Carey has become a full-fledged hip-hop artist.

Carey has long dabbled in R&B and soul, and on past albums she's enlisted the help of Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris and others from the hip-hop world. But "The Emancipation of Mimi" (Island), featuring production by Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes and others, is a whole new ball game. Carey sings in rap-inflected cadences, serves as her own breathy chorus crooner and proves she knows how to ride a bass-heavy dance track.

It's no accident that Carey chose another crossover hip-hop artist, the Jamaican dance hall singer Sean Paul, for her opening act. Paul showed up with a live band and ran through a 40-minute set that touched on pretty much all of his hits, from the lilting "I'm Still in Love" to the hard-hitting "Temperature," from his new album "The Trinity." He's not much of a performer, but the strength of his material was all that seemed to matter to the crowd.

Like a true hip-hopper, Carey called in more than a few favors for this show, bringing out Da Brat, Trey Lorenz and Diddy to assist her on songs. Power 105's DJ Clue manned the decks. The biggest surprise of the night was Jay-Z, who showed up to sashay his way through "Heartbreaker." As Carey hit her famous high notes, Jay-Z stretched out his arms and bowed repeatedly.

The second-biggest surprise was who almost didn't show up. After changing into a floor-length gown, Carey brought out a choir from the True Worship Church of East New York to perform on "Fly Like a Bird," but stopped the song short when the Rev. Clarence Keaton failed to walk on stage and deliver a mini-sermon. "I'm not trying to be a diva, but we went over this," Carey called out to her crew. "He's not here? Maybe he didn't like my first outfit."

Carey may not be emancipated from temper tantrums, but with "Mimi" she's found an appealing new way to express herself.


From New York Daily News: Mimi is so-so

She has the most athletic voice of her generation, able to leap octaves in a single bound.

But at Mariah Carey's rare Madison Square Garden concert last night, she proved yet again that force and flexibility in no way guarantee emotional depth or connection.

In her usual style, Carey approached each song as a rigorous exercise, bending and stretching notes extravagantly, elaborating each melody with as many ornate phrases and fancy filigrees as she could conceive.

Essentially, Carey was doing with her voice what Madonna does with her body.

Carey meant such moves to make up for the fact that, unlike most modern divas, she doesn't dance. She doesn't even move with much grace. But at least she poses with a certain campy charm.

Long attuned to modern trends, Carey made sure that last night's show wasn't just about music. She had a passel of backup dancers to shimmy and shake, a deejay to fiddle around between numbers, and enough costume changes to fill a segment on "Project Runway."

Unfortunately, such distractions often wound up harming the show's pace. Seldom did Carey perform more than two or three numbers before vanishing backstage, while DJ Clue, or some video backdrop, carried the day.

The deejay motif carried over into the songs. Perhaps nervous about her age (36), Carey put even more youthful hip-hop inflections into her music at this show than on her CDs.

Both Jay-Z and Sean (Diddy) Combs showed up as guests. But the style wasn't always flattering, often slowing the beat and flattening Carey's already narrow melodies. Songs like the opener, "It's Like That," made such severe concessions to the beat, there wasn't much room left for the tune.

By contrast, Carey's vocals certainly showed range. The woman can hit most any note on the scale. The deeper question is, should she.

On hit after hit (from "Dreamlover" to "Honey"), Carey threw her voice around with the giddy abandon of a crazed seal leaping through hoops.

It's a supremely influential approach. "American Idol" would be unimaginable without it. But for all her physical dynamism, Carey in concert generated no heat.


From Star-Ledger: Something's missing in Mariah's show

NEW YORK -- Mariah Carey is no longer a punchline.

A few years ago, she looked like a diva on the decline, with increasingly dissapointing record sales and a growing reputation for strange behavior. But her early 2005 album "The Emancipation of Mimi" became a hit, and she returned from career limbo. Now, at the age of 36, she is once again an A-lister.

At the start of last night's concert at Madison Square Garden, she showed a video of a rollercoaster, and discussed the "ups and downs" and "twists and turns" of her life, concluding: "It's all part of God's bigger plan for me" and that "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

The show had all the ingredients for a triumphant homecoming. Carey's voice was as strong as ever, and she hit her famous high notes with ease. The house was full, and - reflecting the turn toward hip-hop Carey took with "The Emancipation of Mimi" -- rappers Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Da Brat and Jadakiss made surprise guest appearances. (Other rappers, including the late Ol' Dirty Bastard, "collaborated" with Carey via video.)

Still, it felt like something was missing.

Carey doesn't present an overwhelming visual spectacle like Madonna or Janet Jackson. And while there were some exciting musical moments -- usually at a song's climax, where her voice explored a sonic stratosphere her contemporaries simply can't reach -- she often seemed to be going through the motions between them. And the show had too many breaks in the action (dance interludes, DJ mini-sets) to gather much momentum.

The evening peaked with "Fly Like a Bird," where the presence of a 40-member gospel choir seemed to pump Carey up. This number also had an awkward moment, though, when a pastor who was supposed to deliver a spoken intro didn't show up, and Carey, clearly annoyed, had to stop the song and wait until he could be found.

"This is not staged," said Carey, who also mused, "Maybe he didn't like a first outfit." She had worn a black bikini, under a sheer cape, with stiletto heels, at the start of the show, though at this point, she had changed into a more modest gown.

Another highlight was the pop confection "Fantasy," performed on a small stage in the middle of the arena. The moody, understated "My All" was a nice break from Carey's usual bombast, though she repeatedly returned to surging power ballads, including "Hero" and "We Belong Together."

Jay-Z made his appearance early on, rapping on "Heartbreaker," but the crowd cheered so heartily it was almost impossible to hear him. As Carey sang, he graciously bowed and waved his arms, as if to say, "We are not worthy."

P. Diddy showed up later in the show, taking the stage for part of "Honey," but didn't do any actual rapping.

Trey Lorenz, who sang with Mariah on her 1992 cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" and is in Carey's current band as a backing vocalist, stepped out front to help her with this song. He also accompanied her later in the show, on a medley of hits, and performed his own medley during one of her costume changes.

Lorenz, who announced that his next album will be called "Mimi Presents Trey Lorenz," pointed out that Carey's '95 hit "One Sweet Day" still holds the record for most weeks at No. 1, while Carey herself, earlier in the show, had identified "Don't Forget About Us" as her 17th No. 1 hit. This was something that divas really shouldn't do: remind people how mind-bogglingly popular they are.

It seemed as if Carey, despite her success, is still experiencing some nagging insecurity. That's the thing about rollercoasters: there are moments of calms, but you always have to brace for the jolts to come.


From The New York Times: The Missing Pastor, and Other Onstage Ordeals

The lights at Madison Square Garden were dim on Wednesday night. Mariah Carey wasn't onstage yet. But her recorded voice was booming through the speakers, dispensing cliches to the cheering crowd.

For instance: "Sometimes life can be kind of like a roller coaster." And, from time to time we all get "a moment of peace." Also, our lives are "part of God's bigger plan." And finally, inevitably, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

At the time it seemed as if Ms. Carey was talking about the ups and downs or her life and career. Her recent years in the music-industry wilderness are by now a big part of the Myth of Mariah, even though in retrospect they don’t seem all that dire. "Glitter," the movie and the album, were absolute bombs, but the semi-successful follow-up album, "Charmbracelet," was pretty good, and it demonstrated that there would probably always be a million or so people willing to buy a pretty-good Mariah Carey album. Still, it was last year's "Emancipation of Mimi" (Island Def Jam) that really put her back on top, and she's clearly relieved. During Wednesday's concert two of the most effusive dedications went to L. A. Reid and Doug Morris, the executives who helped make "Mimi" last year's best-selling CD.

How could we have known, at the beginning of a totally entertaining and slightly weird night, that Ms. Carey's cliches would come true, right there onstage? The show included a few guest appearances (Jay-Z and Da Brat during "Heartbreaker"; Diddy during "Honey"), lots of ovations and all the costume changes you'd expect. But it also gave Ms. Carey a chance to demonstrate her singular talent for embellishment, vocal and otherwise. Give her a molehill, she'll make you a mountain. Give her a chance for a concert that should be a victory lap, she'll make it feel more like - yes - a roller coaster. There were plenty of not-quite-life-threatening ordeals that must have made Ms. Carey stronger.

She chided DJ Clue, who had his own podium next to her band, when she mentioned his name and he didn't respond with an appreciative scratch or shout-out. She saw an expression she didn't like on the ever-smiling face of Trey Lorenz, her duet partner (for the Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There"), and wondered aloud whether he was in a bad mood. And before nearly every song, she fretted about the dire threat of throat-parchedness; luckily, her water bottle was usually in exactly the right place.

Her concert, like the great "Mimi" album, emphasized club jams over ballads. Early on, a show-stopping rendition of "My All" came back to life as a thumping house track. And she often emphasized the extremes of her vocal range: the smoky low notes and the smoke-alarmy high ones.

Throughout, she betrayed a charming anxiety about pleasing the crowd. After "Vision of Love," the song that made her a star, she said, "At first I wasn't doing my first single, 'cause I was like, I don't know if people want to hear it, or whatever." And before "Don't Forget About Us," she said, "Thank you for making this my 17th No. 1 single." But who's counting?

In recognition of the importance of following God's plan, perhaps, she sang "Make It Happen," a bombastic disco-gospel inspirational that compresses many of her tendencies into a four-minute song. And she tried her best to stick to the plan during "Fly Like a Bird," which was supposed to begin with a few words from a pastor. Ahem. Pastor? For a few tense, strange minutes he was nowhere to be found.

"I'm not trying to be a diva," Ms. Carey said, adding, ominously, "We went over this." Eventually he showed up: another crisis averted.

Near the end, Ms. Carey sang "Hero," and she dedicated it to a friend whose father had recently died. She seemed to tear up, so she made a request: "If you want, sing along with me."

In true Mariah Carey style, she sang that request instead of saying it. And in even truer Mariah Carey style, she added some further instructions: "Just for the first part. So I can get it together."

And the crowd followed her instructions to the letter. Surely that qualifies as a moment of peace.


From Liz Smith of New York Post: Mariah Reveals A Lot

'I am not a diva!"

If Mariah Carey said it once, she said it a dozen times during her Madison Square Garden gig the other night. Mariah, honey, we believe you. But guess what, your fanatically devoted fans don't care. They love you as a diva. They love you breaking down. They love you coming back. They love you hitting those stratospheric notes. Mariah, whose hair is pretty stratospheric too, wore her usual selection of bodacious body-revealing get-ups, which can lead one to miss some of those big notes. Questions? Will that bodice burst? Will we see all the junk in the trunk?

Mariah is very laid-back, and talks to her audience as if they are sitting next to her at a table in a restaurant. Some people think that's too casual an approach. But... yes, the fans love her intimate chatting. She is a sweet girl, who had a rough childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, including a tempestuous marriage to Tommy Mottola. Her stardom and those fans mean everything to her, and it's obvious in every breath she takes.


From New York Post: High-Octave Fuel

Go to your darkest fear, the cold-sweat stuff you awake to in the night, like being thrust onto the stage of Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 people wearing only your underwear and 6-inch stiletto heels, to sing impossibly high notes.

Welcome to a night in the life of Mariah Carey.

The voluptuous singer - who, despite being a hometown girl, rarely plays the city - spun a greatest-hits set for fans at the Garden Wednesday night that featured soaring vocals, questionable fashion decisions and a little help from her rap mogul friends - Jay-Z and Sean Combs.

Besides her abilities to overcome personal adversity and hit glass-breaking notes so high only bats and dogs can hear her, Carey has the skill to make people smile.

No, really.

One just had to look at the fans sitting nearby. All had this non-New York goofy grin that made them appear as if they just got to go to Camp Mariah for vacation.

It wasn't just the women in the house, many of whom have actually benefited from Carey's long-established summer camp program for girls, or the guys who ogled the singer's boudoir booty display. Stone-faced Jay-Z, a guy who only shows his teeth to clench a Cuban, was grinning the biggest, dopiest schoolboy smile as he worked an early-show duet of "Heartbreaker" with Carey.

At the close of the tune, the rapper, who bows to no one, kowtowed to Carey with outstretched arms and a crooked smile - their chemistry was terrific.

Minus the terrific chemistry, much the same could be said of Combs, who ran out of the wings to join Carey in the final throes of her hit "Honey." Combs popped a few "yo yos," gave a shout-out to the greater metropolitan area, folded his arms and eyeballed Carey over the tops of his shades.

Carey was thrilled that he joined her, but he added little to the performance beyond the puffiness of his ego.

Part of the charm of Carey's show was the general looseness of the concert. The two-level stage looked used, as if it had been picked up cheap in the Czech Republic. The between-song DJ-ing lent the affair the air of a bad bridge and tunnel club. Carey even had to stop the show at one point because a clergyman she invited to do the spoken-word part of "Fly Like a Bird" missed his cue and had to be found backstage and ushered into the spotlight.

But M.C.'s deal isn't about cheesy sets, weird fashion or even celebrity guest stars. It's about the voice. And for the first five songs, including her duet with Jay-Z, Carey didn't blow anyone away.

Where she finally found her groove was when she reprised her first No. 1 single, "Vision of Love." She warbled through the lows and used all of her five octaves to reach the song's summit.

Who knew the word "love" could be stretched and contorted into an opus unto itself? She managed to repeat that performance passion during her late show rendition of "Hero."

At 36, Carey seems to be very comfortable in her own skin. She was relaxed throughout her 20-song set, which featured a good but not great cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There." Other fan favorites included "Fantasy," "Don't Forget About Me" and "Always Be My Baby," which Carey performed from a secondary stage set up on the floor at the center of the Garden.

Carey did make a mistake by giving up a chunk of the middle of her set to backup singer Trey Lorenz. Despite his ability to carry a tune, Lorenz was unable to command the audience, and his mid-show mini-set just put sand in the concert's gears.

Still, this was a very successful, fan-pleasing concert that made you wonder why Carey doesn't play her hometown more often.


From Associated Content: Mariah Carey Returns to the Garden: Emancipation of Mimi Tour Hits New York

Mimi made her return to New York in front of a packed crowd in the world famous Madison Square Garden. Mariah had been through tough times the last few years but her career came surging back with the release of "The Emancipation of Mimi." The album's opening week sales were the highest first week sales of her entire career. It went on to be the highest selling album for 2005 and went six times platinum!!! Mariah is now back on her "A" game and selling millions of records.

The opening act for the show was Reggae superstar, "Sean Paul". Although he was performing in front of fans more concerned with seeing Mariah, he was able to keep the crowd hyped, playing some of his greatest hits. He performed songs ranging from his first big hit, "Gimmie the Light," to his latest hit, "Give it All to Me." Sean Paul and his dancers did a good job of keeping a non Reggae crowd entertained and dancing. After Sean Paul came an intermission, everyone was getting excited. I was getting nervous because the seat I was in wasn't even mine LOL. I was in the 9th row, and the row of seats in the section started out empty. But after intermission it was down to only 2 seats in the row! I got lucky and no one came for the seat, I always get away with it.

So then the big moment came and Mariah made her first appearance for the night. The show started off with a bang. Da Brat came out doing her verse for, "Heartbreaker," and then Mariah came out singing. Of course all you could hear was cheers from all over the Garden. Then came one of the loudest moments of the night, none other than Jay-Z came out doing his verse from the Heartbreaker remix. I, along with the entire audience, was in complete shock and the crowd went crazy, it was complete pandemonium. My video footage of it was very shaky due to everyone going crazy, it just caught everyone off guard. Unfortunately he didn't stay long and made his exit after his verse.

Mariah then let the crowd calm down some and started performing songs from her massive catalogue. She sang, "Dreamlover," and the did a "My All" club mix performance. The dancers then began dancing while she went to change. A giant "Mimi" sign could be seen at the ceiling and it slowly made its way down. Mariah then started singing her hit off of her latest album, "Shake it Off." The audience was enjoying every second of it and the majority was singing along. Then Mariah gave an inspired performance of her first ever single, "Vision of Love."

Mariah then brought out a choir to perform, "Fly Like a Bird." At first there was a two minute delay because no one could find the Pastor. Mariah kept it real and told the crowd this wasn't staged, and jokingly said something like, "maybe he didn't like my first outfit." She made it clear to the crowd she is not being a "Diva," but explained it was important for the message of the song for the Pastor to be there.

Mariah went on to then sing the classic song, "I'll Be There," with the singer Trey Lorenz. After the duet, Mariah went to change and Trey did a few songs such as, "A House is not a Home," and the Gnarls Barkley song, "Crazy." He did a decent job singing and was good way to pass time while Mariah changed.

Then I noticed a buzz in the crowd behind me. Everyone was looking behind, near the center of the Garden's floor. At first I didn't see anything, but then I noticed there was a stage. Fantasy came on with ODB rapping on the big screen, Mariah then made her way through the crowd to the center stage, accompanied by some dancers. Of course everyone once again went delirious and the arena was abundant with screams.

With everyone gone mad, she then calmed the mood down with, "Don't Forget About Us." She absolutely KILLED the performance, one of the best performances she made for the night. She then did the major hit, "Always Be My Baby." The crowd loved it and sang along. Mariah then made her way through the crowd to the main stage.

Honey then came on, you could see the video playing on the big screen with Mase rapping his verse from the song. Mariah made her way to the steps and did a little dance routine. Then another one of those crazy moments happened, unexpectedly Diddy walks on to the stage and everyone again loses it. The man didn't even do anything, he just came out, said his line from the song, did a quick shuffle and left. I guess when you're that big you no longer need to drop a verse.

So Mariah went for another break to change clothes and DJ Clue was playing tracks, he starts playing, "We Gonna Make It," and then Jada and Styles came out performing the song. They got a luke warm response, keep in mind the crowd wasn't really a rap music audience.

Mariah then came out doing a few songs then did a duet to, "Thank God I Found You," and one of my favorites, "Make It Last Forever." Then one of the most emotional parts of the concert happened when she did, "One Sweet Day." Then probably in the most emotional section of the entire show, she explained she was dedicating her next performance to someone who recently died, and then performed, "Hero." The whole crowd was singing along and Mariah was giving it her all. You could look at the faces of the onlookers and tell the song was really making an impact on them.

Mariah then lightened the mood with, "Make it Happen." One of her earlier hits that everyone enjoyed. Then Mariah made a fake exit, saying, "Thank you New York." But of course I knew better and waited for the real finale. Then the crowd went while when she came out doing, "We Belong Together." The performance was amazing, the crowd singing enjoying the show and you could tell Mariah enjoyed performing. This was the last song for the night, she left of releasing thousands of paper butterflies in the air, leaving the Garden Full of Butterflies. It was a beautiful scene.

Overall this was a great show from Mariah. Although the guest appearances were too short and there were minor mishaps, the show was very good. Between songs Mariah would talk to the crowd making the audience feel like she is a regular person. It felt like Mariah was a genuine person and really wanted to make sure everyone enjoyed her show. I advise everyone to see the legend, Mariah Carey in concert before it's too late. Hopefully Mimi will return to the Garden, "One Sweet Day".

By Frank:
OMG THE CONCERT WAS OFF THE HOOK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got back from the concert and it was incredible. Mariah brought out the stars tonight. Even Oprah's friend, Gale was in attendance. She was off in the 75/74 section. Which is if you are looking at the stage, it's to the right.

Mariah went back to the all black outfit to open the show with "It's Like That" and then she went into "Heartbreaker" and Da Brat came out to sing her part that was cool. Then she crossed from the Remix version to the regular and when it was Jay-Z's part everyone started going crazy and I was like NO WAY! Jay-Z came out and everyone went nuts!

Mariah talked it up with the audience a lot. She seemed to be having a good time and glad to be home even if it was just for a bit.

So when she got into "Fly Like A Bird," the song started and then Mariah was like "Stop the song, stop the song, stop the song...." and everyone was like what's going on? She wanted to have her pastor to sing his lines in the song so she stopped the concert for a few minutes till they got him on stage. Mariah even commented about how everyone would think that she's being a diva but she didn't care. It was important to her and she said his lines are important so that's what she wanted and that's what she got.

Mariah's last surprise for the audience was during "Honey." P. Diddy came out for a bit. Everybody was loving it! THE CONCERT WAS AWESOME AND DEFINITELY WORTH EVERY PENNY.


By kaboyz:
I was at the Radio City concert in 2003 and WOW!! MSG blew that concert away, they did not even compare. THE ENERGY! It was awesome!

Mariah was great! JayZ, Da Brat, Diddy, DJ Clue, Styles P (I think), Jadakiss, were all on hand! It was AWESOME! Although the rappers didn't do much lyrically - JayZ had long forgotten his rhyme in Heartbreaker, but was bowing down to Mariah as she hit the high notes which you couldn't even hear because everyone was GOING CRAZY!!! It was SO AMAZING to see them all there.

The poor crew lighting guy got his ass handed to him by Mariah (unwarranted though). Mariah stopped Fly Like A Bird because the lighting guy didn't put the spot light on the Pastor. However, it turned out that the Pastor was actually lost somewhere back stage. Mariah was LIVID stating how they went over this and it was supposed to be a special moment! Then someone politely came up to Mariah and informed her that the Pastor was missing. Mariah replied, ohhh maybe he didn't like my first outfit, CUTE!!!

Although, she demanded they go find the Pastor, 'Give me a time when you will have him out here. I need to know how long. In MINUTES.' Mariah definitely had a DIVA MOMENT!! After several minutes, the Pastor was found and the show went on.

It was an AMAZING show. My third and final.

My seats for $150 bucks which were 'supposed' to be GREAT were absolutely terrible! They were close to the side of the stage but too far on the side. Mariah has a top stage and a lower stage, the side curtains were in the way of the top stage so for about half the concert I couldn't see Mariah, except for on the big screen and when she was on the lower stage!

Luckily, I had my front row experience to the B-stage in Philly which was AMAZING! Then in Atlantic City I had awesome seats and it was a small venue then in NYC all the special guests! GOOD TIMES! Mariah experience was PHENOMENAL! Mariah definitely sounded AMAZING!


By Mary:
I went to her 2003 concert in Radio City and it was great but tonight blew me away. Jay-Z, P Diddy, my man Jadakiss, The Brat, Oh My GOD!!!!! I stood the whole time and there was one point when she got on the center stage down by the crowd and I swear she turned and looked right at me. I grabbed my daughter, hoisted her up on my arms and we waved liked crazy and I swear she waved back. The highlight for me was the millions of butterflies that came down from the ceiling at the end. I have to get her to sing for my 30th birthday in two years. Life just wouldn't be the same without the VOICE!!!!!!!!!! God Bless Mariah.


By ccallisto1:
I just got home from the MSG concert and I have to say it was HOT!!! I couldn't see an empty seat in the house!! The people were out of their seats dancing and jumping around, screaming and all that good stuff!! That was my favorite MC Concert!! I can't wait until Jones Beach, especially since I have front and center!!! Can't wait!! MSG was a GREAT concert!!


By idoggy:
The show was great and lasted almost two hours. She spoke and joked a lot with the crowd. The entire arena was on its feet most of the time and went nuts when Jay-Z and Diddy came out. I was at the dead Atlantic City show on Saturday and this was way way more fun. Mariah took her time on stage and seemed very eager to please all her fans.

Although I did notice that while she did everything live at AC, MSG had some lipped parts and her voice while still great was not as strong as in Atlantic City. Her voice in AC was the best I have heard from her since 1998. Still she blew everyone away. All I could hear while walking out was people talking about what an awesome show it was.


By Heather:
Pretty hot. Have to say going in with little to no expectations was a good thing.

The whole house gave her crazy love. What sucked though was my section. The only times they really showed excitement was when Jay-Z, Jadakiss, Styles and P. Diddy came out. Other than that, they just stood there motionless. I was like WTF?! 'cause the section was high up (200's) but still in the high price range for tickets ($150).

Buuuut vocally amazing. Very happy about that. I looove the intro video about rollercoasters.

Funny moment: she made them stop Fly Like a Bird 'cause her pastor was there and he went missing and didn't get on stage in time for his line. Someone ran on stage and was telling Mariah they couldn't find him, so she goes "ooo maybe he didn't like the first outfit. im in trouuubllle!"

Sad moment: Mariah dedicated Hero to the father of someone named Rachel. As she did that you could hear her voice shaking like she was ready to burst into tears.

Hottest outfit: definitely the one for stage B. It's HOOOT. The first time Mariah ever was sexy to me. LOL!

Sad moment: One Sweet Day. Hearing that song or even a second of that song live was just amazing. I only wish she sang more of it.

Other than that i think the show was pretty much typical.

Noooow i have to add: I have been on the verge of fandom. Not because anything Mariah did. I just felt as though maybe with all my new changes in my life, she didn't really belong in it. But she proved me wrong tonight. The opening video about life being a rollercoaster ride was a very fitting beginning to my night. It was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. The past 7 years of my Mariah world have been crazy, and tonight for the first time in a long time when it came to Mariah I had fun. I actually even cried a little when she took the stage. She was the Mariah I always knew and loved and she rocked my world and I know no matter what happens I cannot be Heather without loving her. Not because she is what makes me, but because I have gotten to where I am because of her. So Yay Mariah and The Adventures of Mimi tour.


By Rachel:
The concert blows away any concert thus far and any concert yet to come.

When we got into the arena I just about died. I was so taken back by it all. It's HUGE. So many fans, the roar of the crowd, the sound system just vibrating through you. Truly amazing. It was a "moment" for me. Sean Paul opened up and was pretty good. He definitely warmed up the crowd. When MC opened up with It's Like That, the arena rocked with cheers, screams and everyone was up dancing. I don't recall ANY moment during the show where people were NOT up dancing, cheering and clapping. She looked and sounded incredible. She was ON POINT vocally. Jay-Z came out to do Heartbreaker with her, Da Brat did the Heartbreaker remix with her, P. Diddy came out while she was doing the Honey Remix, Styles P and Jadakiss came out and did their thang while she was changing, DJ Clue kept the short moments she was off stage rocking and our dear Mr. Big Nasty sang a few songs and sounded and looked incredible as always.

It was so incredible to see her out on the sub-stage in the center of the arena and it was SO nice to see that the fans who paid over $200 for Dance Floor Ticket as well as other fans in the back and upper decks got to see her up close. She did Fantasy and Don't Forget About Us on the sub-stage and I'm sure was treat for all that were there in those areas in and around it.

Apparently, her back up dancer's (Raychel) father passed away and MC dedicated Hero to her and got a little misty eyed when she told the audience. A very touching moment for MC, Raychel and all of us there. Incredible rendition of that song I might add.

She closed out with We Belong Together and the Butterfly Reprise. Every high note was there and more. She really gave everything she had vocally and she exuded confidence, conviction and commanded that stage. If you were there, you know where I'm coming from.

I'm looking forward to the CT, NJ and Jones Beach shows, because I just can't get enough of the hits, the voice, the tour.


By Rudy [sprungformc]:
Yes, it was an amazing show. I scored a front row ticket for the show via eBay and I sat next to the guy who sold it to me. I swear when she came out during It's Like That she gave me a little wave. I know she remembers us but it still shocks me when she does, considering all the faces she sees.

It was even better than the Atlantic City shows not even because of all the guest stars but because it was a much better crowd, and when there's a better crowd the performers do better, and Mariah is no exception. She is such a diva; she truly ate up all the love and affection from everyone.

I was so overwhelmed when she came out. How long have we been waiting for her real moment of triumph in her hometown? It was a spectacle, and just plain moving. To think that almost everyone in those seats a couple years ago thought she was done - it's really something to think about.

It was annoying what happened with Fly Like a Bird, but I don't blame her one bit for having it done right. After all, her pastor came to the show specifically for the performance. She wrote the song, it's close to her, and this show was her big moment of triumph - everything have to be just as she wants it. If I were in her shoes, I would feel the same way. It's too special a song to not do 100% correctly. Perfection is necessary.

I was just a bit upset that 'Don't Forget About Us' was done on the center stage far away from me (I realized in AC it's my favorite live song on this tour), but other than that I have nothing but high praise and wonderful memories of the show. I did have pink roses I bought for her and she did see them as I was in the front, but she didn't make it easy to get them to her and when I tried to have them sent back I got the cold shoulder. I couldn't find Trey or anyone outside later on to bring them to her so right now they're in a vase downstairs and look pretty good.

It was truly a great day, and I'm so glad nothing went wrong.


By Joseph Gonya:
I am a huge MC fan, and the concert was awesome. Mariah sounded amazing as always. There were a lot of surprises such as appearances by Da Brat, Jay-Z, and P-Diddy. Mariah is absolutely beautiful and there is nothing like hearing her sing live.

I do have some negative comments though about the treatment of fans at the venue. I am not sure if all of the tour dates have been like this or not, but people sitting in the first floor section were not allowed to use any type of camera, not even a cell phone to take pictures. Security and MSG ushers were strictly enforcing this and said that it came directly from Mariah and her people that pictures are not allowed. I could not believe this. After spending $350 dollars on a gold butterfly package to get my hot seat, I could not even take any good shots at the show. It ruined the whole concert experience, especially when you saw everyone in the other sections using their cameras freely. The security and ushers repeatedly walked up and down the aisles during the whole entire show like stalkers and drill sergeants preventing fans from snapping a quick picture and even threatening to throw you out of the venue if it continued. I still do not understand why we were allowed to be treated like that. Why would Mariah not let her fans take pictures when she loves her fans so much?

Also, on her official website, there is a section called Virtual Ticket where they actually want people to submit fan photos from the shows, so the no picture policy did not make any sense to me.

The concert was amazing like I said, but what a huge let down for the way people who paid a lot of money for good seats were treated. Like I said, it kind of ruined the whole experience in a way.


By Vinny:
Okay so Sean Paul opened and he was absolutely nauseating. I guess if you like him, he was good, but I felt like I was listening to one of those Charlie Brown teachers put on a show, and they had just eaten an bag of mexican jumping beans. All he did was "blablablabla" and jump around.

Anyways, when he finally shut the hell up... a half hour later, the LOVELY MISS MARIAH CAREY SAVED THE DAY!!!! The Rollercoaster intro played, which was cute, I liked it. Then she came out and sang "It's Like That" with her dancers and stuff. It was great. She sang the song wonderfully and killed them adlibs!!!

Then, the show heated up! "Heartbreaker" Remix began to "Whatever, just play the record clue..." and then DON DON DON!!!!!!!! Da Brat comes out of nowhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And she runs down the slide and does her rap, and then she left. Then Mariah belts out "Heartbreaker" Remix until it turns into the original (which was too thunderous applause, btw) and she sang that la dida. Then I hear DJ Clue say "Ladies and gentlemen welcome...." but the second he mentioned his name the arena filled with screams and applause and it was inaudible. BUT it was Jay-Z!!! So yeah everyone loved that, he did his rap and he stuck around for the end of the song where Mariah belted and did her supersonic high notes, and LMAO he starts fanning her down when she did them. It was funny. Then he left.

Next was "Dreamlover," which was a great performance which everyone enjoyed. She sang her ass off as with every song and the Juicy tie-in remix was hot potatoes! I believe at the beginning of that song she came down the stairs and got a drink of water and she was like "Now, I tried to do this without the spotlight on me, we can't show the label here because I don't wanna be advertising for anyone!" And she all covering it up LMAO.

After the festive performance of "Dreamlover," Mariah decided it was time "to slow it down just a bit" with "My All." The crowd loved it! She climbed back up the stairs and stood grasping the railing and she sang the song showing desperation. It was a great performance and she really hit them looowww notes as well. It was one of the highlights. Then of course the "My All" Club Mix kicked in and we got to hear the backup singers belt out "JUST ONE MORE NIIIIIGHT!!!" for about 2 minutes while the Diva changed.

Once the Club Mix ended, the MIMI sign began its descent from the ceiling as the beat for "Shake It Off" began to play, and the background singers sang "hoop hoop" Then Mariah came out and gave a nice performance of her hit "Shake It Off."

Next Mariah decided to take us back as the sound of the "Vision of Love" intro, uhm, noise, filled the arena. The crowd went wild!!! Mariah gave an amazing soulful performance of the song and she definitely KILLED it!!! I absolutely loved and can't wait to see that again tomorrow! At the end of the song she said "At first I wasn't doing that song, since it's my first single and all, so I didn't know if people wanted to hear it or not..." but the crowd cheered, implying that had she left it out, they'd be pissed!! (I know I would have).

Next was the show-stopping performance of "Fly Like a Bird." Literally. She introduced her hometown choir, and said her pastor would be joining us for the performance. Then, she began the song, but... no pastor. So, she yelled out "STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP!!!!! STOP THE SONG!!!!!!!!! STOP!!!!!!!!!!" And they did. Then she told us "I don't wanna sound mean or be a diva or anything, but I don't know what's going on, we went over this! Maybe he didn't like my first outfit." (I don't remember exactly what she said, but this is basically it LOL) "But it's a really important message, I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't important. Maybe we could do another song while we wait, I don't know, I hope you guys don't mind. We could do whatever! And my shoe is nearly falling off here, but I could do a Patti Labelle and start kicking it off since she's my godmother and all. Oh dear, the newspapers tomorrow will say 'MARIAH HAS DIVA FIT'" Then she introduced and talked with her choir and stuff. Then finally a crew member came out and told her he was ready. So they started the song again, this time WITH the pastor, and she gave a an amazing performance, sending chills down my spine and tears down my face! It was absolutely amazing. My favorite performance of the night!!!!!

Next was "I'll Be There" which Mariah casually introduced by saying, "Hey, there's two mic stands now, maybe because there's someone joining me!" And people screamed and stuff and Trey came out and she introduced "I'll Be There" and said they recorded it when they were "just babies" and it was a "nostalgic moment" so everyone should sing along. Mariah and Trey gave a great rendition of the song together.

Then Mariah introduced Trey's solo set. She informed the crowd "His album Mimi Presents Trey Lorenz is in stores September 19 so y'all better go get it because it is HOT POTATOES!" as she ran off the stage.

Trey then did a Luther tribute and sang "Never Too Much" and "A House Is Not a Home." He did a great job, I was surprised, he's really great. Then, he did one of his "current favorites" ... Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" which was really a great performance and it sounded 1000 times better than Gnarls Barkley's version.

Then Mariah arrived on the B-Stage, and about which she said "Just what I like! A nice little stage in the middle of the Garden is a stone groove!" She gave an amazing rendition of "Fantasy" while interacting with the crowd around her telling them to sing, etc. Then, the disco ball came down for "Don't Forget About Us" and she introduced it by thanking everyone for making it her 17th #1 hit. She sang the @#%$ out of this song!!! Especially the end, she added some soul and BELTED the hell out of that last note for like.. forever!!! Then some crew member came out to bring Mariah water and Mariah goes "everyone say hi to Lisa she was nice enough to come and bring me some cold water!" Then, she continued with the B-Stage set and she coyly said "This next song is the first song I did with JD, I hope y'all remember it" of course EVERYONE did! It was "Always Be My Baby" It probably was the most popular song of the night. She sang the song beautifully and it was an excellent performance!

Then, she walked off the B-Stage and went back to the main stage, where she sang "Honey" the performance was great and she saaaang the song, and she even rapped along to Mase’s rap which was funny. She shook her ass too which was quite funny LMAO. Then, out of nowhere" DIDDY!!!!!!! The crowd went BANANAS!!! It was even louder for Diddy than Jay, if that's possible, and he basically just stood there with her, but he did say "we gon smooth it" and stuff.

Then after "Honey," it was time for the DJ break" the only song I knew in that whole @#%$ was Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin Something" but then Jadakiss and Styles P. came out to do their song "We Gon Make It" "I suppose that's exciting if you like them. LOL.

Then Mariah came back out speaking the spoken part of "I Wish You Knew," after belting out the end of that, she said "Wow, Da Brat, Jay, Diddy, and now Jadakiss and Styles, I didn't even know!!!" Then she said the next song was a song from the beginning of her career that "you may or may not know" but one of the background singers said it was her favorite so Mariah decided to do it. She sang an amazing snippet of "Can't Let Go" full of blissful high notes and the crowd loved it!

Next, she introduced the "Make It Last/Thank God I Found You" remix. She said it was a DJ Clue production and mentioned that the song was particularly popular in New York (which it was) and she explained what they did with Keith Sweat's "Make It Last" and TGIFY. Then Trey came out and sang with her. It was great, I LOOOVE that song and it was a great performance of it I wish it was longer.

Then, she said she had to do this next song because.. then she got all shy and Trey took over and said "I don't know if you keep up with this kinda stuff or not, but this song still holds the record for most weeks at #1" and introduced "One Sweet Day" They gave a great performance and the crowd sang along!

Okay, next was Hero and I couldn't really hear what she was saying to introduce it except something about someone dying and she was dedicating it to them, and it was hard for her to get started with the song, so she asked us to help her sing. I guess someone close to her died recently. It was a very emotional performance of the song and one of the only times I really enjoyed the song.

Next was the festive number "Make It Happen" and she said "you know I always have to sing this one!" and said "I wrote this a long time ago" and something else but I couldn't catch it. The performance was by far one of the most fun uptempo numbers, the choir came out again as well, and apparently some people thought it was the finale since they started leaving. I guess Mariah didn't help much either since she said "thank you New York!" as she walked off stage to change for the REAL finale.

After about 5 minutes, Mariah returned to the stage to give an encore performance of "We Belong Together" which was absolutely flantastic. I loved every second of it, she sang her ass off and the crowd was amazed!!!! Then, she did the "Butterfly" outro and thanked everyone and said goodnight"

I can't wait to see her again tomorrow at the Mohegan Sun Arena.


By Kelly T. [Mariah Central]:
Mariah was so amazing, she really nailed all the songs. She saw me and my friend Mario's sign during 'Shake It Off'. His sign said "Sing Prisoner' and she said something like 'You messing me up with them signs' and she was laughing, we almost thought she was gonna do 'Prisoner'! But she looked right at us and it was so cool.

It was a lot of fun and I met some great lambs and had the best night of my life, it was worth every cent! Can't wait for the next time!


By Ricky from Jersey:
Mariah was so amazing at MSG !!!! I think it will be the most memorable night on her tour because she was in her hometown. I mean come on Jay-Z, Diddy, Da Brat, Styles P, Jadakiss & DJ Clue. What more can you ask for? She rocked it last night. The set, the theme, the ensembles, her voice were IMMACULATE!


By Danny Boi:
I just wanna say what a show!!! I must be real, I didn't like the way she was dressed for Don't Forget About Us in Miami. I didn't like the pics, a lil' more clothes for a slow song was in need. But I went to MSG on the 23rd and she was amazing!!!

Total diva! I was by the B-stage. I kind of wanna gonna out and party cuz that's how I felt as I left MSG on Wednesday! And doing Fly Like a Bird (What a diva!)... oh no "she wasn't tryin' to be a diva" LOL it's natural for her! LOL! I went to Madonna's concert and you be real too, she an old lady put her leg over her head I would go see (Ringling Brothers)!

Mariah put on a real show, hello that voice! Oh, but my highlight was Make It Happen. I loved the way she did it back in 1996 when she said to her fans 'I see you up there.' They went crazy and on the 23rd of 2006, she did it again! I couldn't believe it! I told my friends before the show if she doesn't say 'I see you up there,' it wouldn't be worth it! (Ok, I really didn't care cuz I was by B-stage but to see the fans go crazy was sooo worth it) and she said it two times during Make It Happen!!

A Night To Remember... that should be the DVD cuz I don't think she could do it better anywhere else but home! Mariah, I love you now more than ever!!!