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Taking the stage with the elegance and mystique of a holiday fairy, Mariah Carey, the undisputed Queen of Christmas, thrilled the sold-out crowd at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Friday night with an oversized dollop of pure festive goodness.
Amid the songs, the presents, snow, wreaths and reindeer that decorated the stage, Carey also sprinkled in her trademark divaesque humor throughout the night.
“All right, Hollywood Bowl, do you think it would be OK if I got my glam squad up here? It is Hollywood after all,” Carey said as she opted to get “ready” live in front of the audience. “See, we could do this backstage, but what’s the point of making it a big deal when we could just do this here.”
Because, really, why not have it done on stage with thousands of Carey’s closest friends?
Musical director and pianist Daniel Moore played along with a song to coincide with the moment with Carey belting out a repeated “It’s just the glam squad, I hope they still love me.” Meanwhile, two helpers worked vigorously to fix her big curls, perfect her makeup, and adjust the red lipstick liner for the night. From that moment on, it became pretty clear that the theme for the night was perfection.
And that’s what she delivered.
Carey officially kicked off the night by emerging from a sizable red gift box adorned with a bow, sporting a bedazzled red dress and humming “Sugar Plum Fairy Interlude.” The tune seamlessly transitioned into a medley featuring “Gloria: In Excelsis Deo,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Oh, Santa!” On stage, dancers dressed as bellhops in red attire, along with backup singers and a full band in white as the setting transformed into a winter wonderland dream.
Flipping between selections from her two Christmas albums, “Merry Christmas” and “Merry Christmas II You,” Carey had an abundance of festive treats to give. With a plethora of Santa hats, ugly Christmas sweaters and lit-up ornament necklaces worn by attendees, the holiday season felt closer than ever. To open the night, DJ Suss One set the mood with a decades-spanning selection of R&B favorites and Carey hits, creating a dance-filled atmosphere that resonated with the multi-generational audience.
Singing crowd favorites like “Joy to the World” and “Christmas Is In The Air Again,” Carey proved that, no matter how much time has passed, she can still effortlessly offer her signature high notes. Rarely, if ever, did she go off-key during the 90-minute holiday performance.
Yet again, her humor never missed a beat, as she asked for assistance to mop the stage floor mid-performance.
“Wait, would it be rightfully tiresome if someone just came to the stage to mop the floor,” she said with seriousness. “It just feels like someone’s wet greasy hair got all up in here.”
Up on the screens on the sides of the stages, even a few band members were seen giggling as she asked the question. And soon a worker was up on stage, mop in hand, as Carey sang “Mop, mop, mop.”
But Carey wasn’t one to let the moment pass without getting in on the action herself.
“I’m going to mop for a second so nobody can say ‘she was too good to do it herself.’”
Slowly, in six-inch heels, she made her way over, sharing with the audience it was much easier than she thought.
“See, this wasn’t so bad,” she quipped.
As the show continued, Carey made it a family affair by bringing out her 12-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, with her son coming out for a rap rendition of “Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane).” Following, Carey’s daughter, Monroe, graced the stage, hands held with her mom, dressed in a matching white gown and tiara. Together, they shared a duet on “Jesus Is Born on This Day.” It was a touching moment as Carey professed her love for her children.
Even though it was a show dubbed Merry Christmas One and All, she knew at the end what die-hard fans wanted, and that was the hits.
“Some people said they wanted to hear some songs that weren’t Christmas,” she said. “Actually it’s my agent, I’ll tell you guys the truth since he’s probably here. He mentioned I should play some of the hits and I’m like ‘Why would I want to do that? It’s Christmas.’ But now I’m like OK, let’s do some other songs then.”
She gave fans a shortened rundown of hits “Always Be My Baby.” “Dreamlover,” “Honey,” “Heartbreaker,” “A No No,” “Emotions,” “Make It Happen,” “Fly Like a Bird” and the now viral TikTok hit, “It’s A Wrap.” Once again, proving her five octave vocal range is still in peak shape.
With an outfit change, pyrotechnics, ribbon and ornaments taking over the stage, Carey wrapped up the night with a big ol’ bow and delivered her chart-topping holiday hit, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Carey amusingly reiterated that it’s not really Christmas until this particular song plays. With the crowd in full sing-a-long mode with their hands in the air and shouting, we definitely felt the holiday spirit.
“We all need joy right now, my hope is that tonight brought joy to those that need it more than ever,” she said.
When: Friday, Nov. 17
Where: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
Also: 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19 at Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles. Tickets are officially sold out. Re-sale options are now available at Ticketmaster.com.
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