I Know What You Want: Mariah Carey Live In Concert Oklahoma

I Know What You Want
Mariah Carey Live In Concert, Seoul, Korea, 6/21/2003
by JB
There are two distinct sides to Mariah Carey. One side makes good music. The other makes American Idol fodder.

The side that makes good music basically invented the pop/hip-hop cross followed by countless big-name recording acts; Jennifer Lopez went so far as to steal a sample idea from Carey's Glitter album and scored a huge hit (ironically titled "I'm Real"). Carey was supposed to be a footnote, an obscure yet influential artist that was considered cool to like, with her immense library of samples, her obsessive songwriting and producing, her vocal phrasing replete with influences from jazz, hip-hop, and R&B.

Instead they dressed her in a long dark gown, gave her a microphone, and told her to sing as bigly as possible.

That Mariah Carey was largely killed off with the release of Charmbracelet (after a slow death that began with "Fantasy," Butterfly and Rainbow) but I was afraid of seeing her rear her ugly head at the opening date of the Charmbracelet tour. She did have those fans who still wanted, from her, the Ultimate American Idol. They wanted "Without You" and "Hero" and "The Great American Ballad." Granted, I think "Vision of Love," "Hero," and "I'll Be There" should stay in some form, as long as she vamps them up enough to make them gospel or R&B. But I wanted "Heartbreaker/If You Should Ever Be Lonely" and "My All/Stay Awhile" or the soul remix of "Thank God I Found You" because Mariah Carey was never a good pop artist, not like Madonna or Janet Jackson. She was always a hip-hop artist at heart who was only covering pop material. Until it drove her to divorce, insanity, and through two record companies.

Carey loaded her setlist with her solid Charmbracelet material. She let her voice rip in "Subtle Invitation" as she improvised over the jangling horns and jazz, she rode the groove on "You Got Me," she did a rock ballad with the Def Leppard cover "Bringin' On the Heartbreak," told Eminem to stop being so schoolgirly in "Clown," brought church to the audience with "My Saving Grace," and did a costume bit with "I Know What You Want" where she even deigned to sing a little bit of the Busta Rhyme parts. These songs had an awesome groove, and they are sure to impact when she hits America for her theater dates (the arena dates in Seoul and Japan will probably not feel as much intimacy). The concept, in other words, is solid, understated, and showcases the music, not her voice or her celebrity or big flashing spaceship things. Best concert ever? Read on.

The Other Mariah was present for the last half of the show, leading the audience with a sing-along to "I'll Be There" (Trey Lorenz is touring with her), lip-synched to "Fantasy (ODB Remix)" as she did a little dance number, but her voice began to show its fatigue with "Make It Happen" where she began singing down when she could've sang up. What was usually a great inspirational dance anthem in earlier concerts was strange and disturbing in its difficulty at execution. This continued with "Vision of Love," and I never thought the day would come when Mariah Carey would come on stage and not be able to hit all the notes to her debut song. She closed with "Hero."

Carey's interests and vocal range have changed but the audience - judging from the Korean audience present that day - will always grumble about the songs that she didn't sing, they will always want the Ultimate American Idol with the microphone and long indigo dress. But that Mariah is dead, and she can't come back even if she wanted to. The one we have now will make new music, have new fans, and face an uncertain future, but we can be sure that - unlike certain sample-stealing actress-turned-lip-synchers we won't name - She's Real.

For more music reviews, visit www.dailyvault.com.

TicketCity

We have best tickets for all sports, concerts and theater. Buy online or call 1-800-SOLD-OUT.

1-800-Sold-Out
5912 Balcones Drive
Austin, TX
Concert Tickets

WHO WE ARE

TicketCity is a ticket broker that sells tickets for all events. Unlike Ticketmaster, who only offers tickets for certain shows, TicketCity is a service that gets you the seats you need to the events you want to attend. We take pride our work, and that reflects in the job we do for you.

WHY BUY FROM US

TicketCity sells great tickets to the most memorable events in the World. Whether you need courtside tickets to the big game or the best seats at a concert you thought was impossible to get tickets for. We get you into the events that you will remember for a lifetime.

That’s why you Never Miss an Experience with TicketCity.

A knowledgeable and experienced service, we are your reliable source for great tickets.

* Orders backed by a 200% guarantee
* Established in 1990. We’re one of the most experience ticket companies.
* We attend the events we sell, because we’re passionate about them.
* We give recommendations based on our first hand knowledge.
* We own one of the largest ticket inventories in the World.
* We offer terrific deals on many of the tickets we own.
* Our prices and service charge are some of the lowest in the industry.
* Our long history means you can trust us with your important business.

Take the risk out of buying tickets, by getting yours at TicketCity.

WHAT WE DO

TicketCity sells tickets to all events. We have seats for any event in the World. Our tickets are sold at market value, not face value, so our prices are based on supply and demand. And we offer many additional features like event hospitality and on-site deliver; that allow us to create a package which meets all your needs.

We specialize in tickets for college sports & championship events.
* All major college football teams & college basketball games.
* College bowl games, the NCAA Tournament & Final Four
* The Masters, Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl & US Open.
* Olympics, World Cup Soccer, Ryder Cup and Rugby World Cup.

Buy tickets from us for any event.
* NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball & NHL
* All concerts, theatre & special events
* Auto racing, tennis, golf, boxing and more!

BUY FROM US TODAY
* Buy online 24/7.
* Buy on the phone by calling 1-800-SOLD-OUT.
* Speak directly with our ticket experts.
* No waiting to talk to us, we’re open 7 days a week.
* All transactions are protected from fraud.
* We’re members of the BBB and our local Chamber.


We have over 100,000 loyal and happy customers to praise for our service. We offer email updates, to keep you abreast of upcoming events and offer you the latest ticket specials. And we’ll assign you a dedicated representative, that’s available to help you find the tickets you want. And if you are looking for a great gift idea, you can buy a TicketCity gift card today!

We strive to make buying tickets from us to be as unforgettable as the event itself.

– Bowl Game Tickets
– Christmas Spectacular Tickets