Review: Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey makes holiday tour a family affair in Dallas show
Let’s be honest.
Getting into the Christmas spirit before you even sit down for a Thanksgiving feast can be a struggle.
Mariah Carey, however, will help get you there.
The iconic songstress brought her “Christmas Time” tour to a packed American Airlines Center on Thursday, Nov. 21, for a blast of holiday merriment.
The 20-stop tour is a 30th anniversary celebration of her 1994 ‘Merry Christmas’ album and her omnipresent hit holiday staple “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
The 90-minute show moved quickly with a four-piece band, three back-up singers and a slew of dancers and singers of all ages. Oh, and Santa even made a few appearances, handing out gifts to some lucky fans near the front of the stage.
All around the arena fans were wearing their favorite holiday costumes, “sexy” elf outfits, and obnoxiously garish Christmas sweaters.
Although this is a family-themed show, the AAC was mostly filled with 30-somethings intent on holiday-inspired frivolity.
Carey’s 13-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon, made several appearances during the show, including Moroccan on drums and Monroe singing “Christmas Wrapping” while miming playing the guitar.
Carey’s four-piece band, situated on the left side of the stage, included Fort Worth-raised drummer Josh Foster, bassist Lance Tolbert, pianist Daniel Moore, and keyboardist Derrieux Edgecombe. They offered a nimble backing and adeptly accentuated Carey’s voice.
Carey, 55, arrived on stage via a snowflake-shaped platform lowered from above, wearing a snow-white formal gown while opening the show with a gospel-tinged rendition of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sings.”
“I’m glad you’re here with me tonight. I can feel your joy,” Carey said before a soulful version of ‘Joy To the World.’ “That’s what the world needs.”
Carey’s celebration of Christmas and her holiday tunes have become ubiquitous with the season.
Her one-two punch of Christmas classics “Silent Night” and “O Holy Night” were elegant, if not overly inspiring. Perhaps two of the most moving Christmas classics would better serve the show — and highlight their gravity — later in the set, instead of 12 minutes into the evening, as if they’re a couple of throwaway tunes. But, I digress.
Carey’s vaunted vocals, while still smooth and powerful, seemed muted at times, as if she was struggling with a throat issue of some kind. She nailed the crescendo moment — “O night divine!” in “O Holy Night,” but then followed it up with glass-shattering and unnecessary high note flourishes.
Carey shined brightest when the music forced her to sing with pace, including a flawless cover of Darlene Love’s classic “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home).”
Near the end of the main set, Carey busted out five non-holiday tracks, including the biggest hits of her career such as “Emotions,” her whistle-registering anthem from 1991, “Hero,” from 1993, and “Fantasy” and “Always Be My Baby,” from 1995’s “Daydream.”
Despite the success and enduring timelessness of those hits, Carey’s best-known song remains “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” which capped the show. Carey, who made four costume changes, returned for the finale in a stunning red Nutcracker-inspired bodysuit and knee-high black boots.
She left the stage in a sleigh escort, wishing all of us a Merry Christmas.
And wouldn’t you know it? By the time the artificial snow was falling from the rafters, 18,000 of us were ready to deck the halls.
Mariah Carey setlist, Dallas, Texas, Nov. 21, 2024
1 Sugar Plum Fairy (Magical Christmas Mix)
2 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)
3 Joy to the World
4 Silent Night
5 O Holy Night
6 Christmas Time Is in the Air Again
7 Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)
8 Christmas Wrapping (sung by Monroe Cannon)
9 Deck the Halls/Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (sung by Monroe Cannon)
10 Oh Santa!
11 Sleigh Ride
12 Charlie Brown Christmas
13 Miss You Most (at Christmas Time)
14 When Christmas Comes
15 Here Comes Santa Claus (With Moroccan Cannon)
16 Emotions
17 Hero
18 Fantasy
19 Always Be My Baby
20 We Belong Together
21 All I Want for Christmas Is You