Hot again, Carey launches a summer tour
Now that Mimi has gotten her act together, she's taking it on the road. Having re-established herself at the top of the pop heap last year with her six-times-platinum The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey is launching her first U.S. tour since 2003.
Called The Adventures of Mimi, it will kick off Aug. 5 in Miami and take the star to more than 30 cities. (Sean Paul will open a number of shows.) "I've always associated going to a show with summer, and the sense of freedom that evokes," Carey says. "Summertime is the best time for tours, I think. Not that I'm the queen of touring."
The singer has indeed hardly been a constant fixture on the concert circuit. She says, "I need a day and a half of complete vocal rest between shows," which makes tour logistics tricky. Before recording Emancipation, Carey "was on tour for a while, taking two days off between shows, which left me in a great place vocally. And now, because I'm at a really good place in my life and career, I want to document it."
Carey will, in fact, be filming the journey, for which she'll even use a tour bus. "I had a small one in Europe, but I didn't sleep on it or anything. Someone, I won't say who, told me, 'The bathroom may be a little small for you.' "
Though she jokes about "my reputation as a diva," Carey is keen that her Adventures bring her closer to the audience. "I know that my fans already understand who I am. Sometimes I think they get me more than I get myself. But I want everyone who sees these shows to get a better understanding of me, my personal side, by the time they leave."
To that end, the star will mix hits from Emancipation and previous albums with deeper cuts. "There's a song Close My Eyes from Butterfly, and girls have told me that it helped save their lives after abusive childhoods and relationships. I want there to be intimate moments - not a woe-is-me thing, but a chance for people to recognize that we've all been through things, and we can connect through music."
She won't disappoint the faithful. "I know people want to hear certain songs, and would be disappointed if I sang, say, Vision of Love and didn't give it my all - no pun intended, because My All will also be on the set list."
And don't be surprised if some of Carey's hip-hop collaborators show up as special guests. "It depends on who's in town and available, but there are artists I have enough of a relationship with - Jermaine Dupri, Busta Rhymes. When I'm in L.A., maybe Snoop will be around." (USA Today)
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