The Queen of Christmas was in Austin Nov. 17. Mariah Carey kicked off her Christmas Tour Nov. 6 near Los Angeles, California. The tour marks the 30-year anniversary of her album Merry Christmas, which includes the seasonal anthem, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Carey performed at the Moody Amphitheater the Sunday before Eanes’ Fall Break in front of an audience decked out in glittery red.
Carey has maintained her award-winning voice over the past three decades. Her range in pitch and music is impressive. She brought the drama with her glittering costumes and talented musicians and singers. Some costume changes and stage effects could have been improved. But, Carey’s grand voice and rousing finale did not fail to impress.
The concert opened with traditional favorites, including “Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Joy to the World.” Lovely choir-like vocals complemented the age-old songs. This tour was marketed with a clear Christmas theme. But, I honestly expected more pop songs, considering Carey is the best selling female artist of all time, and the concert was in November. Because of Carey’s career and vocal talents, the song selection didn’t quite make or break the show.
Some more festive tunes included “Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Sleigh Ride,” in which Carey transitioned smoothly to a lower, cozy pitch. The setlist could have included more of Carey’s original pop hits. Fortunately, she admitted to the audience that she received similar feedback before. She then sang some crowd-pleasers including “Hero” and “Always Be My Baby.” In her pop originals, she hit her signature high notes without a crack every time.
Considering her achievements in music, Carey can pull off a bit of wiggle room in her setlist. Her voice never disappoints, no matter what she sings.
Compared to fellow female pop sensation Madonna, who commanded the same stage this past April, Carey’s audience was smaller, and her performance was less interactive.
The stage for Madonna’s Austin show took up most of the arena space in the amphitheater. Carey’s Christmas stage was much smaller, leaving a lot of space on the ground for fans who’d reserved close-up seats. This was likely because Madonna’s show featured more dancing and audience interaction.
Madonna strutted around the stage as she played her electric guitar and told stories to the audience. Carey’s audience interaction, however, felt less genuine and more structured. She spoke a few sentences as she transitioned from song to song, but talking wasn’t her priority. In fact, much of Carey’s show was less about her and more focused on holiday festivities and music.
In addition to the seasonal setlist, dancers and vocalists were in the spotlight for quite some time, especially during costume changes, of which there were many. After the show opener, Carey entered from the top of the stage in a long, shimmery white dress with large, poofy sleeves. After the traditional-favorites leg of the show, she changed into a sparkly long-sleeved red dress with white snowflake designs. The dress was paired with black tights. For her pop hits, she wore a long silver dress and shawl (with plenty of sparkle). Leading up to and during “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — the show finale — she wore a red bodysuit (the most glittery of all) with tall black boots.
The costume changes were quite frequent, and they took a while. As a result, a large amount of the show featured dancers, singers and vocalists. The dancers were very skilled compared to those in popstar Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour (Netflix), but these transitional bits added to a feel that the show was more focused on Christmas than Mariah Carey herself. In fact, bored anticipation was palpable in the atmosphere, as the audience awaited the Christmas Queen during costume breaks.
Stage effects consisted of a large screen and glitter ‘snow’. The screen was the background wall of the stage, and a split in the middle served as an exit for Carey to walk backstage during costume breaks. Huge amounts of silver glitter were poured from the front of the stage, and fake ‘snow’ fell for the finale song.
The stage effects were not inherently lacking. Rather, they could have been paired with additional lighting to elevate the atmosphere. Red and green light, for example, would have added to the holiday feel in the beginning of the show. Pink and gold/silver lights would complement Carey’s silver dress, creating an ambience for the pop-hits leg of the show.
Mariah Carey’s Christmas Tour was a typical concert experience. It wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But, I do recommend attending a show with friends or family if you are enthusiastic about the holiday season. Even if you aren’t an avid fan of the artist, the show had enough glam and seasonal music to appeal to the average concertgoer. And, Carey’s voice is one of the most admirable in the pop music industry.
