Mariah Carey's Caution world tour kicked off its European leg in Dublin last week. It's spending three nights at London's Royal Albert Hall before taking off to France, Spain, Denmark, Germany and Holland.
It's 25 years since Carey last performed in London. But she seems perfectly at ease strutting across the stage and interacting with her fans. She was a little more keen for the audience to get involved than security were, but she has a definite connection with the crowd.
She has a wonderful stage presence, coming across as very warm and open. She is a very classy performer and very endearing to watch. Carey's voice has to be heard to be believed. Her vocal range is very impressive and the sound she creates is rich. There is never a note out of place and the vocal acrobatics are a joy to listen to. She chose the perfect venue to show it off too.
It's difficult to do justice to an oeuvre of 15 studio albums, but Carey covers a broad spectrum of hits from different eras. "Hero" and "Without You" - which she claimed to only be singing for the one night - are massive crowd-pleasers. The sound of the audience singing along fills the Albert Hall spectacularly.
Carey said from the start that the aim of the tour was to have fun and she wanted to do this through mash-up. It has the desired effect and also allows her to work through more of her hits. It's great to include some of the remixes in the set list, but they are worked in with the songs themselves rather than replacing them, which is effective.
Unfortunately, a lot of the audience sat down for the title track of the tour and album, "Caution". That suggests that people are going along for nostalgic reasons - and they are not disappointed.
The dancers seem fresh from the 90s, in how they dress and how they dance. They aren't completely polished. Their timing and spacing aren't the sharpest, but it's effective. They seem to be out to have a great time, and Julio Marcelino, Lanier McKinney, Shaun Walker and G Madison Phelps dance like they're partying.
As for the backing singers - Maryann Tatum Shields, Takeytha Johnson and Trey Lorenz - they are very much in the background. Their role is subtle, but they lift the sound well. Lorenz steps out for a cover of "Endless Love", which Carey sweetly dedicated to Luther Van Dross.
The costumes are one of the best things about the show. Carey makes several changes, each outfit more flashy than the last. She is very beautiful and looks fabulous as both Diva and Princess Mariahs. Her light-up dress is surprisingly classy. The performance seems almost built around the clothes, and Damien Hairston and Krystie Rodriguez do a great job in Wardrobe, keeping everything moving.
Unfortunately, the sound isn't brilliant; it's hard to pick out the voice above the band for the more upbeat numbers, though this improved as the evening went on. When Carey welcomes her children on stage, their contributions are unintelligible. But their presence feels very natural and is touching rather than tacky.
Other nice additions include the roller disco segment and an interlude of Spanish guitar. Carey's alter ego makes a guest appearance too.
The support act, Manny Norte, is reasonably good. Four Witney Houston songs in a row is bold move for a DJ set, but it seemed to get the crowd going. The transition between songs is a little clunky and some of his attempts at interaction with fans fall a little flat. But when he brings the music down to hear everyone singing along in unison, there is something very special about it.
Overall, it's a great night out. Really good fun: a chance to sing along at the top of your voice, and dance and marvel in the presence of the pop royalty that is Mariah Carey.
(Broadway World)
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