Mariah Carey shines in Benedum Center show | mcarchives.com

Tuesday 19 March 2019

Mariah Carey shines in Benedum Center show

Quit calling Mariah Carey a diva. C'mon, she let Benedum Center concertgoers snap photos during her whole performance Monday, which is a lot more than we can say for Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan and a host of other old-timers who've played the Benedum, Heinz Hall or Carnegie of Homestead recently.

It would have been a shame not to share photos of Carey's half-dozen outfits, including her show-closing pink Cinderella gown, or an equally fabulous floor-length pink dress with a matching feathery boa worn during a mashup of "Glitter"-era songs, as her four male dancers pranced around in glittery spacesuits.

Carey cheerfully reached into the crowd to touch hands and sign a few autographs, all under the watchful, stern eye of a football player-sized bodyguard in a suit and tie standing at one side of the stage. Ushers had kept telling inquisitive fans that Carey would take the stage between 9 and 9:15 p.m. (turned out to be 9:17, so that wasn't bad).

The closest we got to anything diva was when the pop superstar asked her makeup guy and hair stylist to come out on stage halfway through the show to give her a touch-up. "Well, we would have been doing this backstage anyway," Carey said, which was a pretty good point.

Of course, clothes, hair and makeup are just a sidelight to the real attraction: Carey's legendary five-octave voice, which sounded amazing. Through a career-spanning set, that voice floated, soared and effortlessly climbed. She waited until just her second song, "Dreamlover", to hit one of those high-pitched whistle notes that are fun when she does it, and not so much when attempted by the countless "American Idol" contestants she's inspired.

Three backup singers helped fill in a few mild gaps as a five-man band, powered by drummer Josh "JBake" Baker, kept the R&B grooves tight. If you think Carey's career has slipped too far into adult contemporary, you haven't heard her late-2018 album, "Caution", which made some critics' year-end lists for its fresh, engaging sound.

Carey started her 80-minute set with one of those quick and punchy new songs, "A No No", a clever put-down of cheating guys ("Snakes in the grass, it's time to cut the lawn"). The New York Times ranked it No. 3 recently in a list of "25 songs that matter right now".

The tempo slowed and Carey's voice got more velvety, but there was still attitude lurking in another hit-the-road-Jack new one, "GTFO". Carey let her voice drift softly so you couldn't fully hear the "F" word in the chorus, maybe in respect to any children in the audience.

A couple of cute 7-year-olds ended up on stage, Carey's twins Moroccan Scott and Monroe, who got a hug and kiss from mom before "Always Be My Baby". Monroe brought a drawing of the audience with her. Moroccan busted out a quick dance move before heading backstage. (Carey shares custody of the kids with their father and her ex-husband, actor-comedian-rapper Nick Cannon.)

Wrap-around stage panels brought visual pizazz, surrounding Carey and the band in images ranging from bubbles to roses to twinkling stars. The "Caution" title track brought another of those super high notes. Lusty strains of Spanish guitar launched "My All", which ended with a loud cheer from an audience largely in its 30s and upward.

Carey's banter was basic but sincere, with her deepest insight coming when she said "Glitter", her 2001 soundtrack and movie, "almost ruined my life". Critics panned the film and the album. In the midst of promoting it, Carey had a public meltdown, attributed to exhaustion, which cultivated her reputation for being difficult.

Maybe "Glitter" deserves re-examination, as the mashup Carey did Monday, leaning on the retro-disco sounding "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life", was a real banger. And not just because it included a keytar, you know, one of those delightfully outdated guitar-keyboard hybrids.

Many remember Carey's reputation taking another hit after her erratic performance on ABC's 2017 New Year' Eve show, which she blamed on a malfunctioning ear piece. Perhaps that's part of the reason she didn't sell out the 2,800-seat Benedum, as the lower level had empty seats in the back corners. But those who showed faith Monday witnessed a hugely talented singer in fine form, an artist who looked to be in control, happy and grateful.

Fans knew they made the right call as Carey finished her concert with the sultry and smooth "Touch My Body", the emotional "We Belong Together" and the inspirational "Hero" with its swelling tide of instrumentation and a stirring vocal surge from Carey and her backup singers. Powerful stuff. And a good night out.

(The Times)



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