Live Review: Mariah Carey, Nathaniel

Mariah Carey

Nathaniel doesn't take any time to warm into things and nails every note from opener, You're Beautiful.

The same can't be said for the stage lights, however, which snap on abruptly halfway through the opening verse. His four-piece backing band look sharp in variations on the matching white shirt and black waistcoat theme and have clearly rehearsed their asses off for this support opportunity.

He's a natural born performer, but why do artists insist on spoiling the fantasy by mentioning their other half is in the audience? Nathaniel glides effortlessly from his double platinum-certified single You to a touch of reggae: Is This Love? by Bob Marley & The Wailers. Loud is great - albeit heavily influenced by The Jacksons song, Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) - and Nathaniel is "a new kind of cool". 

The crowd collectively think, "DAMN, girl!" 

We should've known Mariah Carey would be 'diva late' and she keeps us waiting for at least half an hour after the advertised start time. The show commences with an homage to Bobby Womack & JJ Johnson (Across 110th Street) during which Carey's backing band and dancers set the scene.

Mariah's image dances across the giant screens, but almost the entire song passes before her bootylicious form is escorted on stage in a  sculpted, fuchsia, full-length dress with train, which is accessorised by a single, silver fingerless glove, gold microphone and cascading, blonde-gold curls. Straight into Fantasy followed by Touch My Body and then the whistle note perfection of Emotions. The crowd collectively think, "DAMN, girl!"

Early on, Carey complains about the bright white lights. She goes off stage a lot and it's not always for a costume change. What's she doing back there? There's an abundance of hand made signs in the crowd and Carey singles one out: "I like the sign." (Afterwards, a member of Carey's entourage collects those signs Mimi has pointed out throughout the show as keepers.)

Carey's first costume change sees the singer flutter back on wearing a sublime, neutral, fitted mini-dress with plunging neckline and plenty of bling as well as a subtle, long billowing bustle. Her dancers are right up there with the best in the world and the lifts they execute in a tiny corridor between rostra during Cry would prove challenging on the full expanse of the stage.

We get the impression Carey just never stops singing when  her between-song banter is sung and then she even hums a melody while sipping a cocktail through a straw! After shimmying over to her trusted Musical Director Big Jim Wright's grand piano, Carey instructs, "Just picture me as s little girl lying on a piano wearing some lingerie, that was me" (a tad strange then?). She delves into music from the past that inspired her and coos Lullaby Of Birdland, which segues perfectly into Fly Like A Bird. Wright's piano is decorated with a gold butterfly. 

Before inviting Nathaniel back on stage, Carey stresses, "We haven't rehearsed," before the pair perform One Sweet Day. There are tears in the front rows and Nathaniel (in lieu of Boyz II Men) is a class act, the expression on his face betraying how much this experience means to him. Carey admirably allows him time to shine and Nathaniel's life will never be the same again. She disappears from sight, but continues sing-talking into the mic. 

This evening's "fan favourite" section is irresistible. As the OG video clips play out on the big screens we're treated to segments of treasures such as Heartbreaker, # Beautiful and one of this scribe's personal faves, I Know What You Want (you know, the one she did with Busta Rhymes that goes: "Baby if you give it to me/I'll give it to you/I know what you want/You know I got it..."). When Mariah treads on her train, a dancer skips over to rescue/disentangle her.

All the couples present will definitely bump uglies tonight!

Each band member is introduced when Carey leaves the stage (again) and it appears one of the dancers has been given the responsibility of running out and using special coded sign language from sidestage to signal when his employer needs more time. We score a keytar solo and Wright's "bad" (which means exceptionally good) piano solo. Carey announces she wants us to sing, "Are you thirsty?" and then appears among the crowd, traversing the full length of the arena back near the sound desk then along stage right side back to the stage (albeit flanked by ginormous bodyguards). 

Dancers are introduced one by one and score a chance to show off their tricks - they wow us. The dude responsible for the company's "tutelage" also gets a mention and rightfully so. The Elusive Chanteuse (this tour's name) is shuffled out again in a divine, Yves Klein blue mermaid dress. She confesses of tonight's show, "There were a few angles I wasn't happy with." While a collage of deceased legends plays on the screens, Carey sings Hero.

Okay, the song's lyrics may be a bit naff, but hearing it earnestly delivered live? You may have to pretend you got something in your eye. Next up is Supernatural, for her twins who feature in the onscreen footage. Always Be My Baby follows. It probably would've been better to close with the tear-jerking Hero, but never mind. 

We note a new brand of loser at tonight's show: those who try to take a photo of themselves while their image graces the big screen. We Belong Together makes a fitting closer, because, "We belong together, MelBORN!" Mimi makes one feel like going home, slipping into a silk nightgown and fluffy, kitten-heeled slippers. And all the couples present will definitely bump uglies tonight!