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[The Kats Report]

Colosseum resident Mariah Carey opts for elegance over adrenaline

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Opening night of Mariah Carey’s “Mariah #1 to Infinity” at the Colosseum on Wednesday, May 6, 2015, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Photo: Mark Damon / Las Vegas News Bureau

In November 1997, the venue that’s now Axis at Planet Hollywood was closed for renovations as its host hotel was partially knocked down and rebranded. That concert hall was the venerable Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts, and the final performance was a rip-roaring show by Mötley Crüe.

It was a wild night in a venue that, over the years, had presented such powerhouse bands as Rush, Kiss and Jane’s Addiction. Women clambered onstage, attempting to corral drummer Tommy Lee and flashing the crowd. Guitarist Mick Mars, already on unsteady spindles, was knocked down by a fan during the song “Primal Scream,” and the show was briefly halted as Metro officers dragged the guy offstage.

Opening Night of Mariah Carey

Six years later, the Colosseum at Caesars Palace opened with an elegant show by Celine Dion, under the title A New Day. There was no rushing of the stage, unless you count the acrobatics by Celine’s Cirque-like backing dancers. Rather, this was a lush and comfortable concert, befitting the beautifully appointed venue, and the beginning of an enormously dignified run by Celine that continues today. Celine will be back in August after her break to care for her ailing husband, René Angélil, and her own vocal troubles.

Both of these venues are now under the Caesars Entertainment umbrella, which owns both PH and Caesars Palace. These are venues of like size (both around 4,000 seats these days) that are positioned across the Strip from each other, and are home to shows by some of the top recording artists ever.

But there’s a difference: The Colosseum is a music box, and Axis a boom box. When talk of a Mariah Carey residency surfaced on the Strip, the obvious venue was the statelier Colosseum. When Jennifer Lopez began showing up at performances at both venues, and even as she performed a New Year’s Eve Show at the Colosseum, speculation was directed toward Axis. It’s been confirmed: J. Lo will appear at the thumping theater, which has been reconfigured to feel more like an ultra nightclub, on Britney Spears’ off nights.

Mariah Carey Arrival at Caesars

Carey and her many sequined costumes fit the Colosseum ideally, as the title of her residency, Mariah #1 to Infinity, indicates. In this show, Carey rolls out what amounts to 18 mini-production numbers. The Colosseum’s famed sound system carries her high vocal register to the rafters. The stage is adorned with giant butterfly wings, long her trademark effect. Behind the performance is the theater’s vast LED screen, which over the course of the show displays a montage of old photos from the singer’s youth, an oceanscape illuminated by a lighthouse, and a color-splashed carnival scene for “Fantasy.”

The very blueprint of the Mariah run at the Colosseum, set to include more than 50 shows over two years, is refreshingly uncomplicated. She has 18 No. 1 hits, and here she paces through them in chronological order. So Mariah’s legions of fans are treated to full-production presentations of such hits as “Love Takes Time” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” the audience instinctively singing along. “I’ll Be There” is backed by photos, of Carey and a little Michael Jackson, as the singer is joined by duet partner Trey Lorenz from the MTV Unplugged performance from 23 years ago. The carnival for “Fantasy” features a video cameo from the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

The undeniable question about Carey’s show is, how is her voice? She still sings as high as the sky, and some published reports claim she’s using tracks on those upper notes. It’s difficult to say. If Carey is singing without tracks, she’s doing it very well, and if she is using tracks, she’s also doing that well.

Mariah moves in a measured way, sashaying across the stage in gowns draped in shiny accouterments—among them a silver-sequined top and white skirt and gown in either a pumpkin or salmon hue, depending on the lighting. At the May 6 premiere, the zipper on the latter broke open, requiring some onstage repair work. The heavy choreography was left to her 10 backing dancers, who at times hoisted the superstar across the stage or boogied as she was carted around in a vintage pink T-Bird convertible and even on a Jet Ski. The aquatic plaything is brought out in a re-creation of the video for “Honey,” with comic/Rio headliner Eddie Griffin shown on the big screen interrogating the superstar.

The show culminates with the lone song that is not a No. 1 hit, “Infinity.” Glowing chandeliers hang over that song, and the show’s template assures there is to be no encore. Mariah’s performance is generous, fulfilling and familiar. If it’s a dance party you’re after, you’ll find it across the street.

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