Mariah Carey Turns it Up
By Mark Bialczak, The Post-Standard, September 6, 2006

Mariah Carey compared her life to a wild roller coaster ride to start her show Tuesday night at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino Event Center.

The analogy came complete with a big-screen depiction of what might be the biggest twisting, turning, rising and dipping amusement park thriller out there.

"If you don't get on the ride, you won't experience the adventure," Carey's voice told the crowd.

And what a spectacle her show turned out to be, with plenty of ups to more than balance a couple of dips.

To get the low points out of the way: Carey started a half-hour later than the scheduled time, and the crowd started to get restless. Also, with costume changes, a three-song mini-set in the middle for her friend Tre Lorenz and breaks for her DJ to spin old school, she might have spent as much of the 90-minute show time off the stage as on.

But, oh, the upside of that 45 minutes on stage.

The costume changes ranged from a small black outfit completed by 4-inch heels to start the show to a yellow gown to a hip-hop style get-up with black clam diggers adorned by a chain to a more flowing aqua gown for the encore. Carey wore a big smile with them all, appearing like a celebrity who's currently at ease with her fame.

Best of all, Carey's voice was pure and golden. She easily reached her trademark high notes that sound like a happy bird singing its morning song.

And the crowd loved hearing that voice, whether it was belting out R&B hits from her latest monster comeback album, 2005's "The Emancipation of Mimi," or dipping into "Hero," the ballad she wrote in 1993, during her first wave of huge success.