Mariah Carey has neglected her Milwaukee fans for a really, really long time. How long? Her entire 29-year career. But Carey finally made it up to them at her first Milwaukee concert ever Friday with tremendous vocals, lots of hits and some surprises - including a medley from her movie "Glitter". OK, so based on the initially tepid reaction, maybe fans weren't clamoring to hear songs from the infamous 2001 box-office flop. But with Carey's backing dancers rollerblading around with disco ball helmets and waving "#JusticeforGlitter" flags, even those songs were hard to resist.
One surprise the packed crowd at the Miller High Life Theatre enthusiastically got behind Friday: a cameo from Carey's 7-year-olds, Moroccan and Monroe. Near the end of a sweet performance of "Always Be My Baby" featuring a barrage of cute photos and videos of the twins, they ran out on stage to say hello to Milwaukee while Mama worked. They didn't really sing themselves, but Moroccan busted out some dance moves and they gave their Mom pecks on the cheek as they sprinted off stage.
But Carey didn't need adorable kids or a cutesy medley to win over the fans. She did it the way she always does it - with her phenomenal five-octave range. Sure, her voice may not be as dazzling as it was when her career skyrocketed in the early '90s, but her singing was still sublime through much of the night and rarely overshadowed by her five-piece backing band and three supporting singers. And yes, she busted out those dolphin notes, during "Dreamlover", "Emotions", "Touch My Body" - and even in that "Glitter" medley.
But she didn't need those impossible falsetto wails for the night's greatest showstopper: a blow-away-the-rafters rendition of her first No. 1 single, "Vision of Love". Her voice plunged and soared like a roller coaster before briefly receding into sultry coos over flirty jazz piano, right before the big finish. It's quite a contrast from the subdued vocals permeating across her latest album, last fall's "Caution", which contributed five songs to Friday's set list. But those songs live illustrated the other talents that have made Carey a superstar, talents too often overshadowed by the vocal fireworks: her songwriting, her production work and her attitude.
"GTFO" stands for "Get the (Expletive) Out", but Carey sings that choice four-letter word with perhaps the most civility ever recorded to music, resulting in a satisfying kiss-off to a terrible lover who needs to be put in their place but isn't even worth a whiff of fury. The same goes for "A No No", Friday's opening number, with Carey coolly denying the one who did her wrong in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese by the end.
Carey's humor manifested more prominently in a few bits, including a mid-show "glam moment" where she got a makeup touch-up. And during "Heartbreaker", Carey came face to face with a sassy hater, and after a night when her performance never got more physical than walking down some stairs, she threw up her leg for a "knockout" kick. But Carey didn't need to lift a finger to prove that, in the world of R&B, she's still one of the best.
The takeaways
Fans waited 29 years for Carey to perform in Milwaukee, and Friday night, they waited a bit more. As the opening DJ's set ended, he said Carey would be on stage in a minute, but she didn't show up for another 40. A couple of fans behind me even booed toward the end, and a woman seated near me nervously asked her friend, "Is she not going to show?"
Carey had five, four-minute-long costume changes throughout the night (her ensembles included a pink Disney princess-style dress and a black dress with an LED rope laced into it), but they sometimes forced her to bolt mid-song. (She literally sang "Stay Long Love You" for 20 seconds.) Her four agile backing dancers helped pass the time, flaunting their swift footwork and ridiculous abs.
Throughout the show, Carey routinely autographed albums for fans in the front row and happily received a couple gifts herself, including a "Wisconsin Cheesheads Heart Mariah" sign.
Carey touched on 21 songs across a 90-minute runtime Friday. But she has 18 No.1 Billboard Hot 100 singles to her name and several didn't make the set list, including "Love Takes Time", "Someday", "I Don't Wanna Cry", "One Sweet Day", "Honey" and "Don't Forget About Us". Maybe she'll sing 'em the next time she's in Milwaukee. There will be a next time, right, Ms. Carey?
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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