St. Louis concert review
After Friday night's powerhouse performance at the Fox, you can forget everything you think you know about Mariah Carey. The diva-on-the-mend may have a lot to prove, but 10 minutes into her spectacular live show, all that talk of emotional breakdowns, movie flops and discarded record deals is forgiven if not forgotten.
There was not a glimmer of the "stage fright" that hindered her touring early on, as she walked down the center aisle to the opening music of "Heartbreaker". Backed by a solid five-piece band, four background-singers and 11 dancers, Carey wasn't hiding from the crowd in her glittery pink mini-dress as she danced to the edge of the stage during the sprite poppy, "Dreamlover".
While some have suggested that Carey's touted five-octave vocal range has not weathered the test of time, she was eager to prove otherwise, hitting those high atmospheric notes as her songs were ending. Inevitably, the crowd response, which at times mirrored idol worship, would leave Carey standing with her camera-ready "cat that ate the canary" grin.
Stating that she was glad to finally play St. Louis, Carey introduced one of her many survival anthems and the first single from the "Charmbraclet" disc, "Through the Rain". I'm still here, Carey sang later at the conclusion of "Subtle Invitation", then quietly affirming, it's a subtle hint. For this song, Carey was lowered from the rafters sitting on a white cloth swing, wearing a strapless white mini-dress.
The classy production included no less than eight costume changes during the 105-minute performance, using live and stock video, and featuring her dancers and musicians in a way that freed her to return to the dressing room.
"One Sweet Day", a song that won the voting on Carey's website for this night, featured the singer interacting with video of Boyz II Men. The bouncy hip-hop of "Honey" was followed by a video of Busta Rhymes' duet with Carey, "I Know What You Want".
Two back-to-back production numbers stole the show, even though Carey's version of Def Leppard's "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" sounds anemic by comparison. Still, dancing in her red gypsy dress, she made up for what was lacking early on, by turning her stellar band lose on one of the only rockin' jams of the evening.
Her aerobic workout shorts were perfect for "Fantasy", which plays off of a Tom Tom Club's sample from the song "Genius of Love". The sexy hip-hop effort, was given added edge thanks to ODB's video presence.
While Carey's sets, costumes and lighting rival that of a traveling Broadway show, it was the more intimate moments where her voice and music was allowed to shine. She introduced the gospel-leaning "My Saving Grace" as my life story put to music, and closed out the set on a similar note with "Make It Happen".
Encores of "Vision of Love" and "Hero" wrapped up the evening with an almost saccharin sweet sing-along, but they were mercifully direct. While her St. Louis fans got to celebrate her music, Mariah Carey re-established her status as a pop vocalist who is not easily dismissed or denied. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Many thanks to Mariah Daily.
|
