Mariah Carey, diva antics light up the Fox
Some artists work themselves into a frenzy in concert, giving everything to their performance until their sweaty, lifeless bodies are dragged off stage by members of their crew. Then there's Mariah Carey, who at one point during her concert Monday at the Fox performed while laying on a couch, after a pair of assistants dabbed the beads of sweat from her forehead.
Look, Carey is a diva with a capital D, and her current Angels Advocate outing might as well be called the Diva Worship tour. Throughout the 95-minute concert Monday, Carey cheerfully played up her diva status, mock-barking orders at her stage crew, lounging on a couch during "Subtle Invitation" and sitting in a chair while wearing a robe during "My All". During "Obsessed", she was hoisted in the air and carried around by her dancers, a pampered princess sitting atop a world of her own making.
Other times Carey was practically immobile, ever-so-gently swaying to the beat during "Shake It Off" and "Touch My Body", working hard to not work too hard. (Side note: The latter song's tease "if there's a camera up in here, than I best not catch this flick on YouTube" was turned into an actual security policy, as no cameras were allowed in the building and cell phones were not permitted during the performance.)
It's obvious that no one is going to confuse Mariah Carey with Bruce Springsteen, but no one comes to a Mariah Carey concert expecting a lesson in stage dynamics. They come to bask in her presence and to hear the Voice, and Carey gave the crowd of 4,200 - which included gospel singer Kierra Sheard and Detroit City Councilman Charles Pugh - plenty of both on Monday.
She was looser between songs than she was at her concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2006, which was somewhat miraculously her only other area concert to-date. Early in the show Monday, she alluded to her tipsy appearance at the Palm Springs International Film Festival a few weeks ago: "This is water, in a water thing," she said as she held up a bottle of water to the crowd and took a sip. "Everybody can relax and take a breath."
As for her voice, it was difficult to discern what was live and what was on track, though it's fair to say Carey was singing live a good portion of the show. She seemed to lean on a backing track for assistance, though it would take a vocal technician to determine what was live and what wasn't. For the most part she sounded strong and at times splendid (especially during "Fly Like a Bird"), though she struggled to hit her signature high notes in her nearly 20-year-old hit "Emotions".
Carey was joined on stage by a four-piece band, three backup singers and up to 10 backup dancers, and the staging was simple and understated. Carey went through four sparkly dresses but left the crowd hanging while changing, filling the gaps with long instrumentals and at one point letting backup singer Trey Lorenz sing Michael Jackson's "Rock With You".
Half of the set was culled from 2004's "The Emancipation of Mimi" and last year's under-performing "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel", with scattered stops at her other albums in between. Energy dipped during the lesser "Memoirs" cuts, as Carey plugged better versions to come on her upcoming remix album. The show's pacing was problematic, too; showstopper "Fly Like a Bird" came only four songs in, hitting an emotional peak that show-closer "Hero" couldn't match.
Still, there was a on-the-fly quality to the show, as if Carey, who turns 40 in March, is embracing the "Imperfect" of her album title. Her "Adventures of Mimi" tour was a tightly packaged arena juggernaut and this is a much simpler show, as if she's loosening control and letting the chips fall where they may. This time around, the Diva is just being herself. (The Detroit News)
|
