Opening Act: - none -

01. It's Like That
02. Heartbreaker
03. Dreamlover
04. Shake It Off
05. Stay The Night
06. I'll Be There
07. Fantasy
08. Don't Forget About Us
09. Always Be My Baby
10. Honey
11. I Wish You Knew (Snippet)
12. Hero
13. We Belong Together
14. Butterfly Reprise

From The Republican: Mariah Carey performance brief

Let's be brief.

After all, that is the word that best describes Mariah Carey's performance at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday night.

The entire show lasted from roughly 8:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. and with costume changes, deejay performances, and a three song medley from one of her backup singers, Carey spent less than 45 minutes on the stage.

For contrast purposes, 45 minutes is usually the minimum amount of time granted to an opening act. It's only half as long as the ride from Springfield to Uncasville. On some weekend nights the line at the buffet can be longer than Carey's show.

While some could argue that 45 minutes is quite long enough for a lot of performers passing themselves off as concert draws these days, Carey actually seemed to be getting at least a passing grade when she thanked everyone and waved goodbye.

She had the crowd on her side (they quickly turned), a major production (dancers, singers, live band, and a half dozen video screens) and the goodwill that comes with successfully executing a viable "comeback."

Things looked bleak for Carey at the turn of the century when she split with music executive Tommy Mottola, flamed out in an attempted movie career with the laughable "Glitter," and was dumped by Virgin Records. Her recent "The Emancipation of Mimi" release has put her back on the charts. The corresponding "Adventures of Mimi" tour could return her to punch line land.

What's longer than a Mariah Carey concert? Just about anything.

The show started with Carey narrating a video about her "rollercoaster" life before the curtains opened to reveal Carey in revealing short shorts and bikini top singing "It's Like That."

Rapper Jay-Z joined in via video screen during "Heartbreaker" and Carey carefully walked down a grand staircase to the bottom half of the multi-tiered stage to sing "Dreamlover."

There were a couple of diva-like moments, particularly when Carey admonished a crew member between songs.

"Get that light off me you dummy," she said, before remembering her microphone was operable. "Oops, just kidding."

After a strong cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There," sung as a duet with backup singer Trey Lorenz, Carey left the stage to let Lorenz solo for three songs.

While the performances, two covers of Luther Vandross and a reprisal of the current Gnarls Barkley hit "Crazy," were entertaining, giving a backup singer eight minutes in the middle of a show is just a bad idea.

Carey returned in one of the five costumes she donned for the event, and worked through hits like "Hero," "Fantasy," and "Honey." She closed the show with "We Belong Together" and did not return for an encore.


From CT Now: Mariah's Show: Short & Sweet

Before singing a single note at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday night, Mariah Carey addressed fans with a prerecorded message, explaining that life is like a roller coaster, full of thrilling climbs and terrifying dips.

However true that sentiment, Carey's prologue felt like a warning, or at least an advance justification for whatever bizarre antics the singer - known in recent years for her erratic behavior - might unleash.

As it happened, though, it was a relatively poised and with-it Carey who turned up for the show. Her brief greatest-hits set, which centered on her more hip-hop-oriented material, was lacking in the kind of meltdown moments and diva freakouts that train-wreck spotters might have been hoping for.

Even so, Carey was off in her own world - a pink, glittery place where black underwear and stilettos constitute an outfit. Throughout the show, she held fast to a desire to be sexy in an over-the-top way, prancing around in costumes that didn't always flatter her sturdy figure.

Exhibitionism notwithstanding, Carey was on her game. She could make her voice go low, then high, then really high, occasionally reaching up into the canine-whistle register that, before near nudity, was her trademark.

On tunes such as "Dreamlover" and "Always Be My Baby," she conjured images of sweet summers gone by, paying more attention to the songs' melodies than any vocal feats of strength.

It was these airy pop songs from early in her career that translated best, even if the harder-edged, rap-collaboration stuff - Ol' Dirty Bastard spitting garbled rhymes on "Fantasy," Mase mumbling on "Honey" - is closer to who Carey has really been all along.

Since none of the rappers she's worked with were at the show, their verses were piped in via video, robbing the show of spontaneity. More problematic, though, was Carey's insistence on ducking offstage after almost every song, typically to change clothes.

Her DJ did his best to keep the party going in her absence, but there's only so long an audience will go along with hearing Bell Biv Devoe hits and being told to "make some noise for MC."

Plus, for all its noisemaking, the crowd couldn't get Carey to come back for an encore. She did 11 songs total, and when she got to the end of "Hero," she disappeared behind the curtains, the houselights flicking on almost immediately.

Only a roller coaster ride could have ended more abruptly.


From The Day: Mariah Carey Way More 'Heartbreaker' Than 'Hero

The people at Mohegan Sun got robbed Friday night.

It wasn't the people at the gaming tables or those in front of the blinking slot machines, but everyone sitting in the arena for Mariah Carey's concert.

Oh, where does one begin? How about she was a half hour late coming to the stage? Or that she did three costume changes in a matter of minutes? Or maybe that her deejay played more songs than she performed.

No, I think you really want to know that many of Ms. Carey's fans shelled out $150, that's ONE HUNDRED FIFTY smackers, for a show that lasted barely an hour. Don't believe it? Here's how it went down:

8:34 p.m., the curtain comes up and the audience is treated to a two-minute video about how Ms. Carey's life is similar to a roller coaster. She performs "It's Like That," "Heartbreaker," and "Dream Lover," the last with a hot Biggie Smalls remix to "Juicy" before she leaves the stage. While she's gone, no music is played and the audience just sits and waits.

Ms. Carey returns wearing the same outfit, but has added a pair of dark shades to the ensemble. What was the point in leaving? One more song, and then she leaves again.

Her deejay plays nine or 10 old school cuts, then she returns and performs two more songs, including a duet with Trey Lorenz.

Then, by this time I could barely contain myself, Ms. Carey had the audacity to leave the stage. Again.

Lorenz takes over and performs three songs. Ms. Carey returns to perform four more songs, then there's another deejay interlude. The Diva reemerges to sing the last verse and chorus of "How I Love You, Baby" along with "Hero" and "We Belong Together." At 9:45 p.m., the chorus of "Butterfly" comes on, Ms. Carey tells the crowd how much she loves us and exits. She should have just rolled her eyes, snapped her fingers and said, "Don't even think about asking me to sing another song!" Then, we really couldn't have been mad at her because she warned us.

But she didn't. Not only did her backup singers and band walk off the stage, but the house lights came on.

No chance for an encore or for the fans to chant or shout her name. All you saw were mouths hanging open and heads shaking in disbelief. A sampling of the exit polls:

"I spent $300," said the couple sitting behind us. "I could have lost that on the table, brother."

"We came for Mary J. Blige. She did two hours and barely left the stage," said another lady.

Ms. Carey, you did a disservice to your fans. The next time you think about coming back to the Constitution State, think about the sour taste you left in our mouths. Everyone in that audience deserves a refund. And you owe Connecticut an apology.


From Connecticut Post: Mariah Carey Concert Disappointing

"Ever get the feeling that you've been cheated?"

Johnny Rotten asked that of the audience at a particularly disastrous Sex Pistols concert in 1978 shortly before that group imploded.

Had the same question been posed to the fans as they filed out of the Mohegan Sun Arena Friday night after Mariah Carey's concert, the answer would have been a resounding, "Yes."

The pop diva gave a show that lasted just 75 minutes and, more unbelievably, she was off stage for about 15 of those minutes. And this for an event with a top ticket price of $150 and "cheap" seats going for $90.

It's a shame, too, because it was quite the spectacle while it lasted. Although I can't claim to be a big fan of the singer, I was interested in checking out a big-time pop concert where I wouldn't leave wondering whether the singer was actually singing.

When she was on stage, Carey delivered a nice run-through of songs from her latest multi-platinum album, The Emancipation of Mimi, and a few of her older hits.

Obviously, a lot of money was spent on the stage, which, dare I say it, glittered. There also was a full band and a handful of dancers with her and a large screen so she could sing along to the videos of the hip-hop stars (Jermaine Dupri, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, etc.) that appeared on her songs. The concert itself was great fun and Carey almost had me forgetting the traffic nightmares on the way to the casino and the fact that the show started a half-hour late. I even thought her giving the spotlight to singer Trey Lorenz for three songs was just a minor annoyance. But the major annoyance was yet to come.

After she performed "We Belong Together," she said her goodbyes to the crowd and left the stage to get ready for an encore that would send everybody home feeling thoroughly entertained.

It was an encore that would not happen.

There was a feeling of confusion throughout the arena when the house lights went up. Could that really have been the end of the concert? Did I really pay $150 for that?

Again, the answers were "Yes" and "Yes."

It's just too bad that Carey decided to shortchange her audience in this way. It took what was shaping up to be a perfectly fine evening and left her fans feeling a bit cheated.

What a rotten thing to do.

By Adam Jones:
Well it's 11:54 PM and I'm home already and I live an hour and a half away. Mariah was GREAT, but the show was SHORT. Maybe she wasn't feeling too well, she sounded a little hoarse. However, it's MARIAH, and I've been a fan since the age of 9, and I'm 25 now. So it was all worth it. A short show, yes, but a great one at that. We love Mariah in New England, and the crowd was amazing! Keep up the good work, and we wish MIMI well.

By Karen:
Mariah was great but for the price of the ticket, what a ripoff. My daughter was travelling from 3 hours away and left in time to arrive for mid opening act. Got stuck in traffic in Providence and walked in when Mariah SHOULD have started but really was over 1/2 way done with her show. No encore either.

Diva ... yes
Still love her... yes
Feel ripped off... YES

By hendoogie:
There were a few songs where you could just tell she needs a break. I was very disappointed... but what you can do? Only advice I have is for people whose shows are upcoming, don't read the boards... you get hyped up for a huge disappointment.

The casino was packed. All fans deserve the best. If you need a rest, then you need to work something out where you have more than 1 day off between shows. There's nothing wrong with being demanding (especially when you've busted your butt to get where you are) but if you can't make those arrangements (i.e, lower ticket costs. etc.), then the simple solution is don't tour. You have people spending outrageous amounts of money to see you perform at your very best. I'm so happy I got cheap seats and not floor seats... I really would have lost my mind.

Once again... I still love ya Mimi but I'm crying or very sad considering this was the only concert I could afford to see this year.

By Sue from Bristol, CT:
I love Mariah, and she sounded amazing last night. I was really happy she played a lot of her old stuff too, however- the concert was way too short! I saw her at the Mohegan Sun Marina in CT. The ticket prices were expensive and wouldn't have minded that if she didn't only play for one hour. There were many faces in shock when she walked off the stage after her last song, everyone was waiting for her to come back out, then looking at their watches and complaining. Also, some of that hour was devoted to another artist, so she probably only sang for 45 minutes!

By mcfan102102:
I was at the show Friday night and I felt bad for MC the crowd was blaaa. I only saw a handful of people standing and screaming, everyone else was just sitting there like they were watching TV. I also went to the Boston show and noone who was so close even sat in the seats almost all night including me. So I was sad for a short show but I think she just did not feel it with the crowd there. I also found out that alot of the close seat were given to the people who spend alot of money at the casino from the casino itself. So they got the people there who spend the money. So I think alot of the people that were there were not crazy fans like us maybe that's what happened in NJ too. Well, that's what I think and I still love her. Also, we got to hear "Stay The Night" which made my night.

By Robin Janko:
I was so excited to see you at your concert. Why was this concert so short? Just when I thought wow, THIS IS GREAT!, YOU SAID GOODNIGHT! Wow, was I disappointed, but I still think you are great!!!

By bringinonthehb:
OMG, more than half of the front row were just sitting there. Me and my friend were like what the ****!!!! Those damn high rollers don't deserve front row seats!

By mjsmoke:
Ok, so the show was very short (about 75 min) and she did cut out a LOT of songs and other aspects of the show, but you can't deny that she sounded AMAZING! I was really looking forward to the whole spectacle of the concert and I too was deeply disappointed when I only got half of it. (no Vision of Love or Make It Happen!!???!!!) Who knows what the reasons are, but I can tell you that the Mohegan Sun venue folks are strict about concerts ending at 10pm. So when the artist doesn't go on until 8:30, that doesn't leave a lot of time to really see a total production. But anyway, fantastic show for what it was.

By Cote1980:
I went to the show in CT tonight. I was really looking forward to it, but honestly it was not a good concert at all. She cut most of her songs out of the show, didn't wear all of the outfits she did in past shows, and as much of a Mariah fan as I am I was quite disappointed. She sang really well, but I don't think it's fair to cut what seemed to be half the show out especially considering there was no opening act. You'd think that she would have at least performed all of the songs knowing that there was no opening act. I lost a little bit of respect for her this evening, which I never thought I'd say. I could have gone to the Boston show, as I live halfway between Boston and CT. I just figured in a smaller venue it would have been a good show. I was completely wrong.