Carey Xmas: Mariah's impeccable voice & charm carries unevenly paced Pittsburgh concert

PITTSBURGH ― There are things you see only at a Mariah Carey concert.

Like a glam squad rushing on stage twice to touch up the makeup and hairdo of the headliner.

And a lean, twerking Santa in Uggs-like boots flinging balled-up T-shirts into the crowd.

But most importantly at a Carey show, you get to witness a singer with generational talent showcasing a voice that dazzles with its power, smoothness and control.

Carey's voice sounded impeccable Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena in a show centered on "The Queen of Christmas'" holiday essentials with a medley of her R&B and pop hits.

Backed by a band led by stellar pianist Daniel Moore and featuring on-stage musical contributions from her 12-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, Carey commanded the stage and kept the action moving, though there were ebbs and flows in energy due to choppy set breaks and pacing.

Spaced throughout the 90-minute set were several songs lacking Carey's on-stage presence. It would have been nice, for instance, to hear her singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" at the launch of the encore, but instead we got a pre-recorded version; ditto a version of The Waitresses' breezy early '80s holiday hit "Christmas Wrapping," which Monroe stood at center stage singing and strumming, surrounded by a youthful chorus and dancers.

The set began strongly.

From a stage backlit with stars and oversized twirling snowflakes, two child ballerinas emerged from oversized Christmas presents and danced gracefully to "Sugar Plum Fairy" from "The Nutcracker." Suddenly we heard one of Carey's mighty vocal runs as she rose theatrically from a trap door in the middle of the stage, wearing a sequined red thigh-length dress. Smiling, she got down to business, singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)." Her voice gloriously rose to multiple levels while holding a single syllable in the "Gloria" part.

Wearing matching white suits, the band that included drums, keys, bass and two backup singers picked up the tempo for Carey's delightful "Oh! Santa."

Moore's lovely piano strokes brought extra pep to "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."

Around the time of "When Christmas Comes" came Carey's glam squad, like a NASCAR pit crew, applying the makeup refreshers and some hair brushing for the unabashed superstar. It was endearing in its honesty.

Carey kept her banter light and fun, joking about her inability to throw far as she weakly tossed a few merch shirts to fans. She yielded that task to the dancing Santa who arrived for "Sleigh Ride."

Carey and the band tapped into a joyous '80s-style dance groove for "Here Comes Santa Claus" that included a rap interlude from son, Moroccan, or "Roc" as Carey called him.

"Silent Night" shined bright thanks to the band and backup singers' jazzy, church-y stylings.

Carey re-emerged on stage in her second outfit, a glittery gold headdress crown and matching gold floor-length cape atop a sequined silver gown.

The pacing bounced around mid-set, and many standing fans took a seat, as a lot seemed to be happening quickly.

Monroe added vocals to her mom's on "Jesus Born on This Day." Carey's twins are talented, which you might expect with parents like Carey and dad Nick Cannon.

"One Child," with drum and bass flourishes and a sweeping chorus was a standout. Even more stirring was "Joy to The World," with its solemn churchy beginning that grew more celebratory as the band cut loose and rocked.

Carey amiably acknowledged audience members wanted to hear some of her non-Christmas hits. Indeed, fans sprang from their seats when recognizing "Always Be My Baby" flowing into a smooth, crowd-pleasing medley of Carey hits including "Dreamlover" and "Make It Happen," joined organically by eight dancers. The medley ended with "Fly Like a Bird" from 2005's "The Emancipation of Mimi," and Carey hitting and holding an amazing vocal finale that earned a roar of approval.

For the "Hero" that followed, fans held aloft their phones, split between adding an illuminating visual effect or capturing Carey's performance on video.

Escorted gracefully off stage, Carey reemerged via a glittery green and red replica train for her holiday smash-hit "All I Want for Christmas is You." Even the Grinch would have smiled at Carey's smooth, soaring vocals, joined by sleigh bell percussion and a team of dancers including a youngster doing a mid-air somersault.

That was a welcome blast of holiday spirit to end the first Tuesday night of December.

Fans showed up festive, with many wearing Santa hats or Christmas-y red outfits.

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They got to dance, too, as opening act DJ Suss One spun hits from Motown to Nelly; and Whitney Houston to Bruno Mars. Though 40-plus minutes of deejaying with unoriginal hype banter grew tiresome, and a number of the dancing audience members eventually took a seat or sought a refill.

When the enthusiastic Suss One concluded his set, a 15-minute break ensued before Carey came out, a gap that saw the audience's energy level revert back to its pre-deejay level. A much shorter break between deejay and main act would have kept that energy higher.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Mariah Carey, the Queen of Christmas, entertains in Pittsburgh