| Saturday 21 February 2004 |
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Carey charms fans with electrifying concert
It was a show of love and devotion for fans of American superstar Mariah Carey when more than 26,000 people turned up for her maiden Malaysian concert at Stadium Merdeka here tonight despite clear signs of a stormy weather. Throughout the 90-minute concert, themed "An Intimate Evening With Mariah Carey Charmbracelet World Tour 2004", thousands of fans sang and danced along as Carey took them on a musical journey with a string of hits - from her eponymous debut album in 1990 right down to her latest release, Charmbracelet.
But it was her hip-hop flavoured tracks such as "Fantasy" and "Boy I Need You" that really got the crowd moving. Accompanied by five musicians, her show also featured three back-up singers and five dancers who helped set the night on fire with slick choreography and sensual moves. Carey wore a tight blue pants and a pink tank top throughout the show, although the New Straits Times had earlier learnt that she would be wearing three dresses specially tailored by local designer Michael Ong.
She opened her show with the upbeat "Heartbreaker" and kept her audience enthralled with a selection of well-loved tracks from her previous albums. They included "Always Be My Baby", "Through the Rain" and "My All". After wishing everybody goodnight, Carey returned on stage for an encore in response to the crowd's deafening screams. She thanked her fans for their continuous support towards her 14-year-long career and belted out her wellknown ballads "Vision of Love" and "Hero".
Also making an appearance in a duet with the diva was singer Trey Lorenz, who was first featured in Carey's MTV Unplugged album in 1992. They gave a rousing rendition of "I'll Be There". Earlier, local fashion designer Michael Ong told the NST that the diva, through her stylist Nikki Siegenberg, had yesterday requested him to prepare the outfits.
"They are made of silk lycra accented with sparkling glomesh and Swarovski crystals. The latter costs about RM4,000 for less than a metre. The three outfits - in fuchsia, black and royal blue - were designed based on several of Carey's favourite dresses which Siegenberg brought at RM10,000 each," he said. (New Straits Times)
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