Singers often press their fingers against their ears when performing onstage. It’s a self-checking mechanism to ensure that they are able to hear themselves in their own heads and that they are singing in tune. Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees was one of many superstar vocalists to make this a familiar habit.
Mariah Carey makes that instinctive ear-press move quite a lot in her new show at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace as she climbs the keys toward those sky-high notes that have soared over her 18 No. 1 hits.
The audience ascends, too, hoping that she can hit that mark, still, at age 45 in her “Mariah #1 to Infinity” production on the Strip. Carey connects on the high end more often not, and those moments are the highlights (as it were) in her two-hour rollout of her 18 No. 1 hits.
To apply a couple of sports metaphors, Carey’s high note is akin to a tennis player with a monster first serve, or a MLB pitcher who can uncork a 102-mph fastball. It is what sets her apart.
But you will not always be able to throw that fastball for a full nine innings, so you make allowances. You throw the slider, the changeup, even a knuckleball — and the great ones still get the job done.
That’s how it is with Carey, who might not climb the ladder to its highest point every time and uses her voice carefully through the performance (similar to so many singers in the arid Las Vegas climate, Carey pumps water throughout the show). She is still a fine deliverer of a song, and the familiarity of her collection of hits is undeniable.
“Love Takes Time” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry” were sing-along favorites during Wednesday night’s opener. She dusted off “I’ll Be There,” The Jackson Five remake, reunited with duet partner Trey Lorenz from the “MTV Unplugged” performance from 23 years ago. A videomontage of scrapbook photos from Carey’s past, and also that of Michael Jackson, backed that song to remind and reinforce of the stars’ long friendship.
Typical of most shows at the Colosseum, especially the superstar residencies, the night held more of a cozy than party feel. Carey was dressed spectacularly in gowns dripping in bling — a black number at the start, switching to a silver-sequined top and white skirt, then a draped pumpkin-colored gown.
Giant butterfly wings (reminding of her trademark) flanked the stage, and the staging featured glowing, shark fin-shaped designs and such themed sets as a carnival for “Fantasy,” which also envelops video of the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The dancers and Carey wade into the crowd at various moments (crowd participation being another Colosseum trademark).
The singer also is carted to the stage via vehicle — in a pink Thunderbird convertible (looks like a ’65, to me) and a Jet Ski.
The show’s generosity in investment is reflected in the many set and costume changes. Each of the 18 songs is itself a production number, with her five female dancers donning showgirl costumes during “I Don’t Want to Cry” and the sets including a lighthouse gleaming across the water, animated film scenes, and, at the end, five high-hanging chandeliers.
Aside from the work from the 10 backing dancers, there is little choreography of Carey’s show. She glides along, glamorously, introducing her 18 hits, in order, with such qualifiers as, “I don’t wanna sound like a braggart, but this is my 15th No. 1 …” The show ends with her last song, the new “Infinity,” which she says is not directed at her ex-husband, Nick Cannon (there is a terse lyric implying that her former beau lacks his own money, but the song is said to be addressing general relationship travails).
The title “Infinity” does suggest a timeless quality for the performer. The ability to hit the high notes is finite. But the hits, they last forever.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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