Wednesday 27 August 2003

Carey's star power not exemplified by show

Last night at NextStage in Grand Prairie, pop singer Mariah Carey saw something she'd probably never dreamed of: empty seats. Over the past three years, Carey, who throughout the '90s was one of the most popular singers on the planet, has seen her sales slide and her career take a major dip. In an effort to change that, Carey decided to tour to support her latest disc, Charmbracelet. It should be noted that Carey's sales used to be so strong, she simply did not tour often.

Her lack of touring experience was painfully evident last night. Her concert, which only drew 2,900 fans, was simply a mess, a capricious fusion of theater, music, missed notes and, most importantly, missed opportunities. The stage is the last place where struggling artists can regain popularity and integrity. If last night's show is indicative of her entire tour, she will fail at both.

The show was much like that of those of her younger pop-music contemporaries, such as Britney Spears and 'N Sync. There was a lot of visual candy - costume and set, a video screen on which Carey's image blazed, singers and dancers, and a backup band that may or may have not been playing. There were times when it was obvious that the music was prerecorded.

That's really nothing new. What was so surprising was the spottiness of Carey's vocals. The woman with a five-octave range only seemed to be using two or three octaves. She especially struggled early on, during the ballads My All and Through the Rain. Her voice was so scratchy, some of the people in the audience looked at each other in befuddlement.

Carey also had an awkwardness about her that proved she has not spent much time on the road. Often looking down or lost or confused, she resembled a small child performing in his or her first school play. Other times, such as during the upbeat Honey, she looked fatigued and could not keep up with her dancers. It was times like these that you simply felt bad for her.

There were some nice moments, including Can't Take That Away, a new ballad. Under beautiful purple lights, she belted out the song precisely and compellingly. And for those few minutes, you caught a glimpse of Mariah Carey's talents. And then they were gone.

(Star-Telegram)

Many thanks to Mariah-Carey.org.



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