Wednesday 20 September 2006

Mariah a must-see for fun-loving crowd

When it comes to Mariah Carey's best assets, local R&B fans got an earful - and eyeful - at the MTS Centre Tuesday night as America's most diva-licious export descended on downtown Winnipeg. Nearly two hours after her dramatic ascent through the upper level of the main stage, curvy Carey had packed over 15 hit songs, five costume changes, and a sneaky strut to the secondary stage into her MTS Centre performance. Add half-a-dozen dancers, a trio of background vocalists, and a handful of musicians to the mix, and this Adventures of Mimi tour stop was as busy as the singer's glittery get-ups.

Dressed like a Victoria's Secret super-villain, Mariah opened up her set with "It's Like That" from 2005's The Emancipation of Mimi. Within the first four songs, the 36-year-old had delivered hits of three distinct flavours: the hip-hop "It's Like That", pop-y "Heartbreaker" and "Dreamlover", and the dreamy ballad "My All".

After praising the home of Winnie the Pooh in her first chat with the crowd, Carey flowed effortlessly - and sometimes breathlessly - between songs, sharing stories with the crowd of 10,000 or casually applying lip gloss by the glow of a mini-flashlight. Alternating sexy, leg-baring mini-clothes (skirts, shorts, does it really matter?) with colourful, belly-baring gowns, Mariah's got the diva thing down pat. Headlining a Carey-quality concert can't be easy, but it helps when you've got high notes, high heels, and hot spotlights on your side.

Mariah's mile-high vocals and girly gowns contrasted nicely with Busta Rhymes' deep bass, back-to-basics opening act. Sampling a decade of studio albums, the New York native opened the show with 45-minutes of catchy beats and call-and-answer interaction with the crowd.

Promoting his newest release The Big Bang, Busta hit the stage in black and white Big Bang gear alongside loyal (and matching) rapper sidekick Spliff Star. The surprisingly chatty duo kept it clean for the young crowd, delivering fun, PG performances of big hits "I Love My Chick", "Touch It", and the Pussy Cat Dolls' "Don't Cha".

(MTS centre)



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