Mariah Carey's The Adventures of Mimi tour covered many cities in the US and Canada (plus a few in Japan) last year. I had a good time attending her Las Vegas stop - my third time attending her concert. To re-live the memories, I bought the concert DVD set, which came out today, and watched it during work break.The DVD set covers her stop even closer to where I am - in fact, the closest stop to me (Orange County, California, at Anaheim's Honda Center). So instead of talking about Sin City and gambling (as I remember), Mariah got to talk about being in Orange County and California. But aside from that, plus the presence of three members of Boyz II Men just for the Anaheim show, it is a good reminder of what I had experienced in Vegas.
Mariah sounded a bit tired, thanks to all the rigorous touring she did, but her vocal range and depth were still first-rate. And while I am not a fan of her fashion sense, and wasn't too happy with the costumes, at least the visual spectacle was nowhere as bad as the sorry joke that I had experienced at my previous Mariah Carey concert (2000 in San Jose, California). The background musicians kicked in when appropriate, letting Mariah's voice do the talking - and I liked that.
The crowd was very well-mixed, from children to young couples to older women, showing Mariah's appeal to both older adult contemporary listeners and younger R&B/hip-hop fans. That's how I remember the Las Vegas crowd too. The playlist was well-mixed to appeal to both fan groups. I sincerely appreciated the inclusion of two of my favorite songs - "Hero" and Jackson Five's "I'll Be There." The sight of a teary-eyed fan during "Hero" was a good reminder of my own tears at the Las Vegas show.
A good, if a bit sugary, watch/experience - though another concert DVD, a 3 1/2-hour Elton John spectacle from New York's Madison Square Garden, which I had watched just two days ago, had spoiled me, and I was yawning through a few of the numbers today by comparison. Speaking of Madison Square Garden, that was the venue where I had seen my first Mariah Carey concert - way back in 1995. It still remains the favorite among my three Mariah Carey concerts, partly because it was in her hometown.
I'll be happy to attend yet one more Mariah Carey concert. I have yet to see her in person here in Southern California, and I wish to change that next time.
