You might have seen the videos on social media over the weekend – festivalgoers at the Sydney and Brisbane Fridayz Live festival dates heading for the exits “in droves” before headliner Mariah Carey’s set had even started.
I was among those who made a quick exit off the field at the Brisbane Showgrounds as soon as co-headliner Pitbull’s set was over – but I was escaping for a tactical bar-and-bathroom break before the main event.
In fact, there was near half-hour gap between Pitbull and Mariah’s sets, and the still-strong crowd enjoying Carey at the Brisbane show suggests many of those who appeared to be “bailing” on the concert they’d paid hundreds of dollars to be at were in fact popping out for a quick bathroom or bar break.
My friends and I were there to see Carey and wondered if the sea of fans in Pitbull bald caps would filter out after his set and afford us a closer spot in the crowd. Once Carey’s set started we’d managed to make our way about five metres closer to the stage but were still behind thousands upon thousands of festivalgoers. The place was still packed.
Still, there’s no denying the pop diva has been met with a decidedly mixed reaction among those who’ve seen her so far on this tour. “Zero energy,” declared one festivalgoer on TikTok. “Love you Mariah, but time to put the diamond mic down now hun,” said another.
Your enjoyment of Carey’s headlining set at Fridayz Live depends on your willingness to meet the singer where she currently is. Never much of a mover, Carey is now 56 and leaves the onstage aerobics to her bevy of back-up dancers.
Hemmed in by a glittery ballgown, her movements do appear stilted as she glides from one side of stage to the other, usually guided by the reassuring hand of one of her dancers.
But this has been her vibe for years: At this stage, complaining that Carey has a sedate stage presence is like complaining that Pink spends too much time on aerial silks.
And as some faithful fans have been keen to point out in the comment section of those negative posts, Carey also reportedly suffers from chronic pain caused by fibromyalgia, which could explain her stiff onstage presence.
But what Mariah does have, of course, are hits. Hits for days – one of the most commercially successful runs of the past 40 years.
A woman who gave the world Emotions, Fantasy, Honey, Heartbreaker, Always Be My Baby, We Belong Together and Dreamlover has no place singing them as the headliner at a pop / R&B festival? Come off it.
This particular Mariah fan has exactly one complaint: She added three songs to her set after Friday night’s Brisbane show, treating the Sydney crowd to Shake It Off, Say Something and even a surprise All I Want For Christmas Is You finale on Saturday night.
Check out the videos of the rapturous crowd reaction to that Mariah-penned festive classic and tell me Carey wasn’t worth sticking around for.
Read related topics:BrisbaneSydney
