Wednesday 26 November 2003

Mariah Carey still hot despite meltdown

© Tiago Palma
She sang most of her hits in a show that lasted only a little over an hour. She wore half a dozen eye-popping outfits, dancing and belting those famous high notes that thrilled the crowd of more than 30,000. In her first-ever performance in Manila two Sunday nights ago at The Fort Open Field, Mariah Carey was a blast. The effects of her much-publicized career and personal meltdown two years ago hardly ever showed in her energetic performance that night. She was warm and full of life as she showed off her magnificent five-octave voice to everyone's delight. The 33-year-old diva had apparently fixed the glitches in her aesthetic life.

The fans waited for nearly two hours for Mariah to come out on stage, and the waiting was eased by the performance of the all-male a capella group, Akafellas, which sang at least six well-applauded numbers. When Mariah's live voice was finally heard and she emerged, ushered by burly bodyguards from the ground to the stage, the fans stood on their seats to get a glimpse of her. They screamed as she dished out her bouncy opening salvo, "Heartbreaker", and she was stunning in a glitzy powder blue micro-mini and bikini top.

She segued into another lively number, "Dreamlover", before greeting her ecstatic Manila audience. Then she did the vocally challenging "Through the Rain", the first hit single from her ninth and latest album, "Charmbracelet". Mariah's Manila performance was part of the six-city Asian leg of her "Charmbracelet World Tour 2003" which promoted her newest album of the same title. She earlier performed in Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur.

After only three numbers, Mariah left the stage to change into an olive green gown with a plunging neckline. She had a total of seven wardrobe changes during the night. She donned a royal blue floral mini skirt with slits on both sides, and many girls in the audience speculated the skirt left no room for her to wear undies. When she did a choreographed number in "I Know What You Want" with her back-up dancers, she was in a denim micro-mini and a black tube shirt with "Harley Davidson" emblazoned on the chest.

She wore a "new" backless black dress and asked the audience, "Do you like the ensemble?" Her "Automatic Princess" get-up was a blue midriff shirt and neon pink shorts. For her last three numbers, she was in a dramatic silver gown adorned with ostrich feathers on the long skirt. Thanks to the huge giant screens on both sides of the stage, even fans in the general admission area could clearly see her and her outfits while she performed.

Before every song, Mariah graciously told the audience the title of the piece and from what album it came from. Her spiels obviously were not scripted or rehearsed. No tele-prompters were visible. This singer hardly talked, so her one-liners elicited shrieks from her adoring fans. If there was still any emotional baggage from her breakup with superstar Luis Miguel, her hospitalization for exhaustion, her reported suicide attempt and the death of her father, Mariah hardly showed it. She knew how to entertain. And entertain very well.

She also sang the ballad "My All", as well as the upbeat "Honey", "Can't Take That Away", "You'll Always Be My Baby" and "Make It Happen". She danced in five-inch heels which showed her shapely legs.

(Inquirer News Service)



COMMENTS
There are not yet comments to this article.

Only registrated members can post a comment.
© MCArchives 1998-2024 (26 years!)
NEWS
MESSAGEBOARD