During the Glitter and Charmbracelet eras, a comeback from Mariah Carey seemed impossible to some. Her popularity, her quality of material, and even her voice appeared to be degrading at a painfully rapid rate. Even I, an avid fan of the songbird, began to think that she was on her way out of the music business. In early 2005, "It's Like That" was released, and although it was a nice track and the fans enjoyed it, it still wasn't making any big moves on the charts to make anyone think this new upcoming album would perform any differently than the past two. Then, out of nowhere came the mega-hit, "We Belong Together," and the rest was history. The Emancipation of Mimi went on to be certified six times platinum by the RIAA, making it the best selling album of 2005. At the 2006 Grammy Awards, it was named the best contemporary R&B album of the year. The album also gave Carey two more #1 singles to boast. This tour, which is her most successful one yet, topped it all off.
I actually was fortunate enough to see this tour in my area, and I must say that this DVD does an excellent job of capturing the magic of her performance. The set is nice, as is the lighting. The concert was recorded in HD and is in surround sound, so obviously I have no complaints in that area. (The only problem I really have with the way it was shot is that I really didn't care to see the fans in the crowd and also, I wish the camera weren't always so close up to Mariah. I would've liked to have seen more full shots of the stage with everything going on at once a few times throughout the presentation.) The background vocalists, in my opinion, were superb and they really did an amazing job. The dancers seemed to be quite talented, but at most times, the choreography was a little lame and unexciting to me. But to be completely honest, I don't really look to the dancers to give me thrills during a concert: my eyes are always on the star of the show.
Throughout the entire show, Mariah proves that she is back and here to stay. The voice, which some critics claimed was withering away to a mere whimper, is just as strong and bold as her early days. The high notes are still there, as is her soulful belting. And she really is singing live! She has astounding charisma and energy, and to top it all off, she looks better than ever.
Choosing the setlist must have been an extremely difficult task; Mariah has been active in the music business for the last 17 or 18 years. She has had many hit singles and also many great album tracks that have become fan favorites. Well, all I can say is that it was chosen perfectly. It has some stuff for all the new fans that she gained with this new album, but it is also faithful to the fans that have been there since day one. Most of her studio albums are represented with at least one song. All of the songs are pretty much performed in their entirety. (It really annoys me when artists do little one-and-a-half-minute versions of their songs, trying to cram everything in.) What I also liked was how she slipped in little pieces of some of her remixes into the performances. It was cool how she sang part of "Dream Lover" over the instrumental of Biggie's "Juicy." The powerful performance of "Fly Like A Bird" was worth the price of this set alone for me.
Aside from the concert, this also has some special features. The first disc has a behind-the-scenes feature, which are always fun to watch at least once. It also contains a jukebox feature that allows you to arrange and play your own setlist. (Mine: "Fly Like A Bird," ten times in a row.) I think the idea is quite ingenious. The second disc has a tour documentary, with interviews from all parties involved, speaking on the setlist, set design, dancers, etc. I always find these things interesting because it really takes an incredible amount of work to put a tour of this magnitude together, and it's always nice to hear Mariah speak. Also, a few, but not all, of the concert's songs are here in karaoke form so you can sing along. Last, a Spike-Lee directed short, Lovers and Haters, is included. It's Mariah's way of responding to--and laughing at--all the rumors that "haters" have created about her over the years. I don't really think this set needed to be two discs. I'm sure all the special features would've fit on one DVD, but I still enjoyed them all.
This tour documents an amazing performer who has once again returned to her prime. Overall, this is a great, entertaining, and worthwhile DVD set. If you are a Mariah fan, then this is for you.
