Carey undeniable charm - Concerts Promoter

[ 23-02-2004 ]

Despite no costume change, only a couple of songs from her Charmbracelet album and a 90-minute delay, the local audience welcomes Mariah Carey with open arms at her first concert here, writes PHILIP AUGUSTINE.

MARIAH Carey? Friday concert at Stadium Merdeka Kuala Lumpur was a bundle of surprises right from the very beginning. Fans who came expecting to see a scantily clad diva were thrown off guard when Carey, dressed in a bright pink spaghetti-strapped top and tight-fitting blue flared jeans, made her grand entrance perched at the back of a black BMW convertible as it went around the stadium before finally stopping by the stage.

With no opening act and a one-and-a-half hour delay, the American pop-diva smiled and waved to the crowds as she opened the 90-minute set with the remix version of her 1999 No.1 smash hit Heartbreaker taken from her Rainbow album.

Looking conspicuously like a Barbie doll complete with her pink platforms and long blond curly mane, Carey? concert had a happy, colourful and somewhat childish theme going on that seemed to enthrall the excited crowd of close to 30,000 who immediately took to their feet (and stood on their chairs) to get a better view of the 33-year-old international singing sensation who said: ??e waited a long time to come and see you.?nbsp;

Royalty, celebrities and fashionistas were out in full force.

While pop-diva concerts are predominantly about the visuals, (Cher rode a fake elephant on her Farewell tour and Christina Aguilera steamed up her Stripped tour with a hunky guy who well, strips), Carey had none of that and, in fact, went all out to stage what could possibly be the most demure performance in her current world tour.

When after several stage exits Carey re-emerged wearing the same outfit, which had the words ?utomatic Princess?splashed prominently across her chest, the slightly peeved crowd emitted sounds of disappointment (the best the audience got was half way through the show, when she switched from her bright pink platforms to strappy high-heels).

However, the songtress did apologise.

?ypically I change clothes like eight times during the show and I? sorry if I? being boring but that? the rules and we gotta play by them,?said the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter referring to the strict stage regulations imposed by officials and concert organisers.

Funnily enough, similar ?trict guidelines?were ignored during her recent concert in Jakarta when curvaceous Carey performed in six of her tour costumes.

For a large part of her show, Carey was flanked by five dancers, all dressed in mismatched hip-hop circus wear ?like the girl who had a tutu over her tight jeans. She was accompanied by five very good band members and three back-up singers led by long-time friend Trey Lorenz (who later joined her in an impressive vocal-Olympic version of the Jackson 5 classic I?l Be There).

While the 33-year-old superstar did another one of her disappearing acts, a buffed up and very bald Lorenz took centre stage to render the song A Friend of Mine and also highlighted the vocal prowess of the other two backup singers as well as the band? pianist. Much to the delight of everyone, especially the ladies in the crowd, Lorenz heaped praise on the nation? capital saying it was one of the best venues they ever performed in.

As trademark of the true musical icon and gifted vocalist she is, Carey needed no elaborate set design or flashy pyrotechnics to prove that she can still deliver the goods. In fact, a simple, minimalist stage (with a set of steps), and two giant screens on each side showing accompanying videos to some of her songs, was all she had. This nevertheless added to the overall magical spell Carey cast on her audience.

Carey? pure talent and superstar quality was never more obvious as she belted out emotive and highly inspirational ballads like Through The Rain and Can? Take That Away (Mariah? Theme). Both songs earned loud ovations as she dug deep to hit some spectacular notes.

In recent years, Carey has faced unfavourable media attention, which is hardly a surprise considering the tumult of a divorce in 1998 with ex-Sony Music Entertainment chairman Tommy Mottola, a record-label change, a universally panned movie and album (Glitter in 2001), and that very, very public ?reakdown? The gifted singer however, who has always sought refuge in writing songs, eventually produced Charmbracelet, which made its debut at No.3 on the US Billboard Charts.

And one of the most poignant parts of the evening was when Carey bared all (with her clothes on) in a very personal video presentation of her childhood, career highs and lows and her rise from it all as she rendered a deeply moving version of her gospel-inspired song My Saving Grace.

Although dubbed ?n Intimate Evening With Mariah Carey Charmbracelet World Tour 2004? to promote her latest album Charmbracelet, only two songs (Through The Rain and My Saving Grace) from the album were featured. Carey also sang the single I Know What You Want from her newest Remixes compilation.

Instead, Carey, who sang a total of 16 songs, primarily delivered a series of her hits from the previous decade including Dreamlover, Make it Happen, Always Be My Baby and her first ever single and No.1 hit, Vision of Love, thus, endearing herself further to many Malaysians who have long said they missed the ?ld Mariah?

Carey also maintained a steady and cheeky banter with the crowd ?often throwing back ? love you??and asking the crowd to sing along as she teased and gyrated a few times by rotating her hips and thighs suggestively and flashing the sweetest smile.

Carey has also developed her own special lingo or Mariahisms like ?ove ya much?and ?ey, lamb!?which she readily offered the Malaysian crowd.

While for the most part the concert went on smoothly, at other times the videos that were played between set changes created brief but obvious lulls in the show.

The song I Know What You Want is a case in point. As dancers performed intricate dance movements while the song? video was played, Carey came out briefly, uttered a few lines as she walked across the stage, then quickly left.

A disappointment perhaps was Carey? Fantasy number with its ?een there done that?steps, which were not only old but showed moments where both her dance routine and singing were out of sync with the music.

But as the best selling female artiste of all time and as the only artiste to have a No.1 hit in every year of the 90s, Carey more than made up for it with her encore performance of the all-time crowd favourite and semi anthem-like melody Hero.

?n appreciation to all of you fans here in Malaysia, I say thank you for supporting me through my whole career. I want you to know that I really appreciate you and thank you from the bottom of my heart,?said Carey.

While what Carey projected on stage may have seemed fluffy and girlish or even childish at times, none of it seem calculated or rehearsed.

In her 14-year career, Carey? appearance and style may have changed, but one thing is certain ?her music continues to inspire.