A grateful Mariah Carey plays Philips Arena
By Nick Marino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 10, 2006

Mariah Carey decorated her stage Wednesday night at Philips Arena with her initials. They were designed in an interlocking symbol, a cross between the Chanel logo and a hood ornament, and they represented her status as a pop music luxury brand.

Carey has had her ups and downs, as an extended video metaphor involving a roller coaster reminded us. But she's back on top now, having had the best-selling album of 2005 - "The Emancipation of Mimi" - with the help of Atlanta songwriter/producer Jermaine Dupri.

Dupri appeared onstage multiple times Wednesday night - he came out before Carey to get the crowd pumped up, joined her for a run through "Shake It Off" and shared the stage with Da Brat during a lull in the action. Dupri is a sparkplug of a man, an instant jolt of energy, and Carey thanked him profusely throughout the night.

The show had some disjointed moments and questionable fashion decisions, but Carey was warm and gracious and generally in good voice - she cheesed it up with fans, hit her famous high notes and seemed pleased to be there.

She began the show wearing a spangly black bra and matching boy-shorts, accessorizing with a cape. Later she wore a yellow dress with a deep slit. Her hair fell in waves down her back. Her midriff was well-ventilated.

Carey sometimes seemed unsure whether she was supposed to be onstage or off. And there was a clumsy moment about halfway through the show in which she started "Always Be My Baby," stopped to sing a bit of "Your Girl," then went back into "Baby." But moments like these were kind of endearing - they revealed Carey to be human, as opposed to a robotic diva.

Among other songs, she sang "Hero," "We Belong Together," "Dreamlover," "My All" and "I'll Be There." And if some of the show's most exciting moments came from a DJ spinning tracks by local rappers D4L, Young Jeezy and Young Joc, well, this is Atlanta - what do you expect?