Mariah Brings Out the Stars at MGM at Foxwoods
Posted by Lynn on Wednesday, 20-Jan-2010, 7:55AM EST
When Mariah Carey played the MGM Grand at Foxwoods last weekend, she brought some additional star power.
After catching his wife's show, producer, comedian, writer and musician Nick Cannon stepped up at the casino's Shrine nightclub. Cannon did the spinning for a packed crowd, choosing an eclectic selection of music and even singing along on some songs. Despite rumors to the contrary, Carey was a no-show at the after-party party.
But there were others big names there, including Boston Celtics stars Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who attended the Carey concert with teammate Kevin Garnett.
More Videos: Mariah at MGM Foxwoods, CT Show #1
Posted by Lynn on Tuesday, 19-Jan-2010, 5:33PM EST
Here are more video clips from Mariah's concert at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT on Friday, January 15. Thanks to Marc for sharing his videos with us!
Click on the links below to view more video clips!
Video: "It's A Wrap" at MGM Grand Foxwoods (Show #2)
Posted by Lynn on Tuesday, 19-Jan-2010, 1:31AM EST
Here's a full video of Mariah's performance of "It's A Wrap" from last Saturday's concert at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT. As reported earlier, Mariah announced on the show that she will be singing this song with Mary J. Blige on the Remix album.
Audio: Mariah at MGM Grand Foxwoods, CT (Show #2)
Posted by Lynn on Sunday, 17-Jan-2010, 6:38PM EST
Below are audio files from Mariah's concert last night at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Unfortunately, we were only able to capture up to Mariah's performance of "My All."
Fan Photos/Reviews: Mariah at MGM Foxwoods, Show #2
Posted by Lynn on Sunday, 17-Jan-2010, 6:36PM EST
FAN PHOTOS [ Thanks to Jonny, Gary and Julie! ]
FAN REVIEWS
• Jonny: "Mariah was on fire once again! Saturday night's show at the MGM Grand did not disappoint! Mariah looked beautiful as she descended down to the stage in a long gold gown, different from the one she's worn the past few shows, and curly hair. The setlist was essentially the same as Friday night, with the addition of 'Up Out My Face,' which Mariah said they've been back and forth about putting in the setlist. Mariah revealed that it was Nick's idea to put 'Emotions' in the setlist. A festive moment for this show was a birthday celebration onstage for choreographer Debbie Allen, who came on stage for a splash and to be serenaded by Mariah with 'Happy Birthday.' It was a great show from start to finish, with exceptionally powerful performances of 'Love Hangover/Heartbreaker,' 'Emotions' and 'It's A Wrap.' I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of this tour has to offer!"
• Carrie: "To summarize my night, I'd have to say it was a phenomenal one. Mariah came on stage at a reasonable time. I was worried that she would be late like she was for the previous concert. Compared to my last concert (The Adventures of Mimi), the show was so much more intimate, and I enjoyed my seats (fourth row-thanks HBF!) She made a lot of jokes about her drunken speech' from a few weeks ago, and every time she did the crowd roared with laughter. Mariah had no trouble poking fun at herself and the rumors, and it made the mood of the show more relaxed. She did talk with the audience every now and then, and waved to fans throughout the show. The band was great, the dancers were incredible (especially during Angels Cry when a man and woman were hanging from the ceiling!) and Mariah's back up singers who we all know and love were both singing their parts and-even though they were high up-smiling and waving to members in the audience. After tonight, I have no doubt in my mind that 'The Voice' is still as powerful as ever."
• Brad: "I was in the front row, stage right, seat A8. I enjoyed the concert a great deal. I saw her in Vegas at the Pearl and also on New Year's Eve at Madison Square Garden. The show had a pretty good flow. The 'birthday party' for Debbie Allen was unexpected and kind of cute. Although it is clear that vocally Mariah relies on a backing track, when she improvises her vocals she is at her best. Vocally, a real stand out of the night was her seated performance of 'My All.' Personally, I enjoyed the special interaction I got with her since I was the closest person to her and I am very tall (6' 3"). For example, she and I sang back and forth on 'Make it Happen' and her face lit up when she noticed my change of outfits into the Angels Advocate Tour T-shirt. Also, during the encore performance of 'Hero' she smiled when she noticed I was now wearing the concert T-shirt from her Music Box Tour of 1993 and she pointed at me and sang 'a Hero lies in you.' I pointed back at her too. Big Nasty also gave a wave when I shouted his nickname. The crowd was ok. Parts of the center section did stand and dance but too many people sat in their seats at all times. Overall, it was a very special night and I loved overhearing an elderly couple, as they were leaving the theater, say to each other 'that was a pretty good concert.' It put a smile on my face."
Carlos: "I had a great night and great weekend overall! The show was fabulous and Mariah was so divalicious as usual. It was actually my first time seeing her in concert and I was not disappointed. Mariah is so down to earth and very funny. She was even poking fun of herself over the whole champagne incident lol. She was dressed really nice all night. She wore 4 different dresses and they were all sexy. And she still hits all the right notes and sings way better than most of these performers now a days. She went from from song to song with no hesitation. She sang songs that everyone knows like We Belong Together and Hero, and also sang fan favorites like Subtle Invitation and It's A Wrap. My favorite part of the show was when she sang Fly Like a Bird, she really sang that song lol. It was so amazing, it gave me goosebumps. The negative part of the show was that most of the crowd was really just a boring casino crowd which I don't get why you would go to a show that you paid big money for and just sit there the whole time. It doesn't make sense to me. But anyways, I would go see her again very soon. Hopefully she'll come back around next time she releases new material. And I'll be there!"
Source: Jonny | Gary | Carrie | Brad | Carlos | Julie
Live Updates: Mariah at MGM Foxwoods, CT (Show #2)
Posted by Lynn on Saturday, 16-Jan-2010, 8:00PM EST
Tonight, Mariah performs her second show at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Our MDJ special correspondents Jonny and Kyle are there to give us live updates, as they happen!
Setlist: 01. Butterfly Intro/Daydream Interlude 02. Shake It Off 03. Touch My Body 04. Fly Like a Bird 05. Make It Happen 06. Angels Cry 07. Subtle Invitation 08. It's Like That 09. The Impossible 10. Love Hangover/Heartbreaker 11. Honey 12. It's A Wrap 13. My All 14. Emotions 15. Up Out My Face 16. Obsessed 17. We Belong Together 18. Hero
Tidbits: • Another sold-out night at MGM Grand. • 08:02pm - Opening act RydaznRtist performing on stage. The group is done with their set at 8:17pm. • 08:58pm - Mariah now out on stage with "Butterfly Intro/Daydream Interlude." • 09:07pm - Right after "Touch My Body," she said, "Just taking a sip of my water." • 09:12pm - "Make It Happen" playing. Mariah leaves for a short break. • 09:16pm - Mariah comes back wearing a long gold dress to finish "Make It Happen." • 09:20pm - Mariah dedicates "Angels Cry" to the people in Haiti. • 09:32pm - After "Subtle Invitation, Mariah brings out Rachel and show director Debbie Allen whose birthday is tonight on stage. Sings 'Happy Birthday' to Debbie. • 09:45pm - Trey Lorenz on now for "Rock With You." • 09:47pm - Mariah back wearing a short silver dress and performs "Love Hangover/Heartbreaker." • 09:52pm - Now performing "Honey." • 10:07pm - Mariah takes a break after "My All." • 10:10pm - Comes out in a long black dress and performs "Emotions." Mariah mentioned that singing "Emotions" was Nick Cannon's idea. • 10:15pm - Performs "Up Out My Face." She got her water in a champagne glass that she requested earlier. Said the "Up Out My Face" video will be out soon. • 10:19pm - Performing "Obsessed" now. Complains dress is too long: "Ahh if I fall it will be good TV." Everyone is up dancing! • 10:35pm - Mariah ends the show with "Hero." "Up Out My Face" added to tonight's setlist, and the audience was much livelier than last night!
Photos:
Thanks again for joining us! Big thanks go to Jonny and Kyle for a job well done! We're back with the live updates on Tuesday, January 19th at 7:30pm EST when Mariah plays the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia! Our special correspondents for the night will be Bryson and Chad.
If you were in tonight's show, we would love to receive your reviews; and pictures, audio and video recordings to share with everyone. Please send to contact@mariahjournal.com.
Source: MariahDailyJournal | Jonny | Kyle
Audio: Mariah at MGM Grand Foxwoods, CT (Show #1)
Posted by Lynn on Saturday, 16-Jan-2010, 4:48PM EST
We have the full audio of Mariah's concert at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut on Friday, January 15, 2010. You can either download each song individually, or the whole show at once below.
Many thanks to Jonny for sharing his audio recording exclusively to MDJ!
And here's a full video of Mariah's performance of "The Impossible." At the end of the song, Nick Cannon comes out on stage to give Mariah a kiss.
Source: Jonny | MariahDailyJournal
Fan Photos/Reviews: Mariah at MGM Grand Foxwoods, CT
Posted by Lynn on Saturday, 16-Jan-2010, 4:42PM EST
FAN PHOTOS [ Thanks to Jonny, Gary and Kristen! ]
FAN REVIEWS
• Jonny: "Better late than never! Although Mariah's descent on to the stage was considerably late, she proved that good things come to those who wait. Looking great and in good spirits, Mariah offered a powerful, energetic set, interjected with joking references to her 'entertaining' acceptance speech at the Palm Springs International Film Festival earlier this month. She sipped water a couple of songs in and later had a splash of champagne as she received the diva treatment introducing 'Subtle Invitation.' Careful observers noticed that she chuckled as she sang the line 'intoxicated' in 'Emotions' later on in the show. All jokes aside, this was a great show. Although this was another 'casino crowd,' this bunch was a bit more lively than those in the audience at the Borgata in Atlantic City. When Mariah urged the crowd to get up for 'It's Like That,' they obliged, and did so again for 'Emotions' and 'Obsessed.' Other highlights of the show included a vocally powerful performance of 'It's A Wrap,' a fun performance of 'Love Hangover/ Heartbreaker' (which in my opinion is a welcome addition to her setlist) and a soulful rendition of 'Fly Like A Bird,' which Mariah opted for tonight in place of 'H.A.T.E.U.' Husband Nick Cannon made a brief appearance on stage after 'The Impossible,' which Mariah dedicates to him. The show came to a close with 'We Belong Together,' which Mariah had to start over after a mishap with the stage door, and another amazing performance of 'Hero.' Even though many people, possibly even Mariah herself, may be tired of hearing this song, it will always provide a special moment for me."
• Amanda Hanzlik: "Even though we had to wait a very long time for the show to start, it was a fantastic concert! Mariah's voice was in great form, and she absolutely brought it. The staging, placement of the band/background vocalists were simple, yet elegant, and it really highlighted Mariah and her amazing voice. The choreography really enhanced the beautiful and understated mood of the entire show. Mariah was funny, laid back and one of the best parts of the show was when Nick came out on stage, and they shared a kiss. It was so sweet! Her performance on 'Fly Like a Bird' was out of control. 'The Impossible' was beautiful and sensual, with amazing choreography. We also loved the fact that she included 'Subtle Invitation' (one of my all-time favorites!). I have been a fan since 'Vision of Love' was released (Yes, I am that old!), and I have now seen Mariah in concert seven times, and personally met her four times. She has never, ever seemed happier or looked more beautiful than she did last night."
• Cory: "The show was down right incredible! I'm going to focus my thoughts on the music and her voice because I'm sure others will do a fine job of reviewing her attire and such. MARIAH SOUNDED AMAZING! I was in awe and even my friend who is only just a casual fan said she sounded great. She was quite late and people were getting restless, booing even, but once she got on stage they forgot all about that. 'Shake It Off' was NOT as boring of an opener as people thought it would be... and 'Touch My Body,' with a unique and harder drum arrangement, kept the momentum going. I'm a little disappointed that she dropped 'H.A.T.E.U,' but 'Fly Like A Bird' sounded great (and we could see that she still has that muscular arm!). The musical highlights of the show for me would have to be 'It's Like That' and 'Emotions.' The energy was so crazy during those songs it was surreal. The crowd was LOVING 'Emotions' and I do believe Mariah seems happy she decided to put that back in her shows. Overall, Mariah was on point, having fun, extremely personable and fun to watch. She poked fun of herself quite a bit, but that just made it all the more real and it felt like I was hanging out with her in a sense. The only negative thing that is consistent with most of her concerts is that they are too short and she needs to find more creative ways of incorporating more songs. I also get the feeling that she skipped 'Always Be My Baby' due to the late start. Other than that, awesome show and totally worth going! I'm looking forward to seeing her again in Boston and Vegas!"
Source: Jonny | Amanda | Cory | Kristen
Press Reviews: Mariah at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods
Posted by Lynn on Saturday, 16-Jan-2010, 10:15AM EST
Mariah Carey has been in the news lately due to erratic behavior at a pair of recent award shows, most notably a woozy acceptance speech when she was honored at the Palm Springs Film Festival January 5 for her acting turn in the film "Precious." She didn't make it easy to forget those images during her trip to the stage Friday night for the first of two nights at the Foxwoods Resort Casino's MGM Grand Theater, where she sounded comfortable easing through her songs and a touch loopy in between them.
Sporting an enormously puffy dress, Carey descended from the rafters on a rope swing to flutter through "Butterfly," a seven-piece band adding cool dressing to its mellow flow. Carey's singing was mostly casual, building to snappy little bursts amid the puffy dance sway of "Shake it Off."
Her voice is a remarkable instrument at its high end, but her songs were frequently undeserving of the unleashing she gave it. Her simmering trip through the mechanical R&B of "Touch My Body" was neither seductive nor enticing, and the only moments that mattered in the expansive "Fly Like a Bird" were the displays of power and sky-scraping pitch with which she dappled its latter portions.
Her singing could nonetheless apply pyrotechnic enticement to an energetic reading of a stop sign, so Carey dolled up the shimmying dance wave of "It's Like That," snapping gamely at its otherwise unremarkable lyrics. With a troupe of as many as ten dancers circling her, she soared and sailed through a meshing of "Sweetest Hangover" and "Heartbreaker," clad in furry sleeves and one of the multiple abbreviated dresses she sported as the evening wore on.
When she wasn't singing, Carey meandered between songs, complaining about the lack of fans onstage to blow hair off of her face, laughing at her own circuitous asides even when there wasn't a punch line, and coming off more flaky than fun. For people who love to watch a superstar fiddle incessantly with her hair (and call stylists onstage when she's tired of doing it herself), it was a treat.
Despite her once-in-a-generation vocal tools, Carey left several numbers shapeless, among them an average take on "Angels Cry" and a reading of "The Impossible (Love Ya Like)" that, despite its swatches of rhythm, was more drowsy than hypnotic. Those moments made it all the more jarring – in a good sense – when she leapt into "Emotions," which stood out for its lively gait as Carey dressed it with a mix of sharp vocal jabs and almost spoken word delivery in some passages.
Carey was almost on the way out when a door hit her in the backside, courtesy of her dancers emerging from one of the set's enormous risers to join her for the percolating, static " Obsessed." That moment somehow caught up to her on the next song, as she stopped "We Belong Together" midway through its first verse and demanded her band begin again. She peppered its flow comfortably to finish her set, and then returned for a laid-back massaging of "Hero" that brought the 90-minute show to an easygoing close.
Mariah Carey returns to the Foxwoods Resort Casino's MGM Grand Theater tonight at 8 P.M. Tickets are $150, $125 and $95.
Below are pictures from last night's show courtesy of The Hartford Courant.
Going to see Mariah Carey in concert these days is a little like catching a wild amusement park ride.
There's a lot of fun and a lot of thrills but also some not-so-subliminal fear in thinking that the ride might go right off its tracks at any moment.
The statuesque songstress with the five-octave range brought all those elements to her show before a full-house at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods on Friday. It was just a little more than a week since Carey grabbed all the wrong kind of headlines for her wacky acceptance speech at the Palm Springs Film Festival, which she later blamed on "splashes of champagne."
The video of the slurred speech instantly became a YouTube classic, so when the Long Island native finally took the MGM stage an hour and 35 minutes after the 8 p.m. show time on the ticket Friday, there was plenty of concern going 'round right from the start.
The anxious and frustrated crowd had been booing just a few minutes earlier and it didn't help when an off-stage announcer said that Carey was running late due to the seemingly obligatory "accident on 95," that seems to get brought up whenever a performer arrives late for a show in the area.
Nevertheless, Carey did stage a pretty impressive if occasionally erratic 90-minute performance that was musically tight and well choreographed - even if the pacing was slightly marred by the soon-to-be-40-year-old singer's own unpredictable nature.
She definitely has a crazy side to her. One of the first things she said to the crowd was "Who's thirsty and drinking champagne?" making obvious light of her earlier incident. She said she was going to stick to water all night, but by her seventh song, which she sang while lounging like a diva on a plush couch, she did indulge in a bit of champagne saying "See this is what happens. They force it down my throat."
Carey is in the very early stages of her "Angels Advocate" tour, her first extended road show in more than three years. She was ably backed by a four-piece band, three singers and numerous exceptional dancers, who often grabbed the attention when the singer slipped off stage for a half-dozen costume changes. Her dresses were all skin tight, typically sparkling and all designed to flaunt her abundant cleavage.
After a brief introduction, the concert kicked off with the thumping dance track "Shake it Off," the erotic "Touch My Body," and one of her first vocal showcases of the evening, "Fly Like a Bird," which peaked with some of her trademark sky-high upper octave notes at the end.
Mid-set standouts included her early smash "Make it Happen," before "Angels Cry," the latter which featured two dancers spinning high above the singer's head.
In a set-up routine, she had a crew member come out and fix her hair, as Carey drew laughs when she said "I am a diva. A diva's a good thing."
She didn't totally stick to the script though. She seemed to be having problems with her in-ear monitors and was not pleased with some of the directives she was apparently receiving through them, including the set list. As the night progressed so did the pauses between songs and she blew the lyrics and had to re-start one of her biggest hits, "We Belong Together," right after saying that Billboard magazine had crowned it the most popular song of the decade.
Still with tracks such as "The Impossible" (husband Nick Cannon briefly came on-stage and gave her a long kiss after that one); a tasty mash-up of her own "HeartBreaker" with Diana Ross' "Love Hangover;" Carey's mega-hit "Emotions;" a fierce rendition of the Eminem-dissing "Obsessed;" and the encore of her classic "Hero," it was undoubtedly a crowd-pleasing night.
Hours earlier, the vocal trio RydazNRtist opened the night with a brief 15-minute set that was well received by the audience.
Live Updates: Mariah at MGM Foxwoods, CT (Show #1)
Posted by Lynn on Friday, 15-Jan-2010, 8:00PM EST
Tonight, Mariah performs her first of two shows at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Our MDJ special correspondents Jonny, Cory and Steven are there to give us live updates, as they happen!
Setlist: 01. Butterfly Intro/Daydream Interlude 02. Shake It Off 03. Touch My Body 04. Fly Like a Bird 05. Make It Happen 06. Angels Cry 07. Subtle Invitation 08. It's Like That 09. The Impossible 10. Love Hangover/Heartbreaker 11. Honey 12. It's A Wrap 13. My All 14. Emotions 15. Obsessed 16. We Belong Together 17. Hero
Tidbits: • Venue is sold out. Audience is livelier than in Atlantic City. • 08:19pm - Opening act RydaznRtist performing on stage. The group finished their set at 8:39pm. • Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Glen Davis and other Boston Celtics players are in the 9th row. The crowd is going crazy taking pictures of them. • 09:18pm - Still waiting for Mariah. • 09:23pm - Announcement made about Mariah being caught in traffic due to an accident on I-95. The show will start 'shortly,' they said. • 09:31pm - Mariah finally on with "Butterfly Intro/Daydream Interlude." Same 'swing' entrance. She's wearing a short gold dress - different from one she wore at Borgata. • 09:41pm - Mariah made a joke about champagne during "Touch My Body." She takes a sip and says, "It's not liquor, I promise!" • 09:59pm - Now performing "Subtle Invitation." She keeps poking fun of herself about the 'drunk' speech. She says, "Subtle Invitation is kind of a drunky song if you think about it." • 10:14pm - Nick Cannon came out and joined Mariah on stage at the end of "The Impossible." • 10:17pm - Trey Lorenz on now for "Rock With You." • 10:21pm - Mariah back on stage wearing a short silver dress and performs "Love Hangover/Heartbreaker." • 10:35pm - Mariah takes a break after "My All." • 10:41pm - During "Emotions," she emphasized the word 'intoxicated' and kind of laughed. Another nod to Palm Springs. • At the beginning of "We Belong Together," the door that is part of the stage set hit her and she messed up and made them start the song over. • Mariah wore a long black dress for "Emotions" through "We Belong Together." It's different from what she wore at Borgata. No ruffles on the bottom. • Crowd was great. She said several times it was an amazing crowd. • 11:03pm - Mariah performed "Hero" for encore. Show ended at 11:03pm. She did "Fly Like a Bird" instead of "H.A.T.E.U." and dropped "Always Be My Baby" from tonight's set list.
Photos:
Thank you for staying with us during tonight's live updates. Come back again tomorrow, January 16 at 8:00pm EST for another up-to-the-minute coverage. Our tour correspondents Jonny and Kyle will be updating us for show #2 at the MGM Grand Theatre at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT.
Those who attended tonight's concert, we would love to receive your reviews; and pictures, audio and video recordings to post on the site. Please send to contact@mariahjournal.com.
Source: MariahDailyJournal | Jonny | Cory | Steven
Live Updates Tonight!
Posted by Lynn on Friday, 15-Jan-2010, 12:27PM EST
Mariah will be performing tonight at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and our MDJ special correspondents Jonny, Cory & Steven will be there to give us real-time updates, as they happen! Be sure to log on to the site at 8:00pm EST tonight!
Source: MariahDailyJournal
Mariah Comes to the MGM Grand, Mashantucket, CT
Posted by Lynn on Saturday, 09-Jan-2010, 12:12AM EST
Mariah will perform two shows, January 15 & 16, in the MGM Grand Theater at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut. Here's the video that MGM Grand is playing in the casino to advertise the concert.
An afterparty, hosted by Nick Cannon, will follow Mariah's Jan. 15th show at MGM Grand's Shrine club. Tickets are priced at $20 and available for purchase now.
Source: MGM Grand at Foxwoods | Gary
THE ANGELS ADVOCATE TOUR
Welcome to MariahDailyJournal's "The Angels Advocate Tour" section! Get all your information, photos, and reviews here. We welcome your show experiences, reviews, audio & video files, posters and photos from the shows to share with everyone! Please e-mail us at contact@mariahjournal.com.
