Mariah Carey announces Las Vegas residency
Mariah Carey has announced a Las Vegas residency for this April, consisting of eight shows at the Park MGM hotel and casino.
The Celebration of Mimi run is a mod to her seminal 2005 ‘comeback’ album The Emancipation of Mimi, which turns 20 next year.
The Live Nation-backed concerts will feature fan favourites from the album, as well as other hits from across Carey’s back catalogue, according to the announcement.
Shows are booked for 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 24, 26 and 27 April and will take place at Park MGM’s Dolby Live venue.
The concerts will feature fan favourites from the album, as well as other hits from across Carey’s back catalogue
The Emancipation of Mimi included singles We Belong Together and It’s Like That and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling more than 400,000 copies in its first week. It went on to become the US’s best-selling album in 2005.
Carey has performed a number of Vegas residencies in recent years. Between 2015 and 2017, the 54-year-old played 50 concerts at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace as part of a residency dubbed #1 To Infinity.
Between 2018 and 2020, she returned to the venue for a residency series called The Butterly Returns. In addition to those residencies, Carey played a string of Christmas-themed shows at Caesars Palace in December 2017 and 2019.
Park MGM’s Dolby Live venue will also host residencies from Bruno Mars, Maroon 5 and Lady Gaga this year.
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Mariah Carey to bring Winter Wonderland to Roblox
Mariah Carey will deliver a series of virtual concerts on Roblox’s Livetopia platform this month under the name ‘Mariah Carey’s Winter Wonderland’.
The virtual shows will take place over four consecutive nights, from 21–24 December, each starting at 7 pm ET (12 am GMT).
Carey will perform an array of old and new hits across the concerts, wrapping up with her holiday classic ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ as the grand finale.
In addition to the musical entertainment, the singer’s ‘Winter Wonderland’ experience will also feature a Christmas-themed treasure hunt designed by her twin boys, as well as item drops and more.
“My kids and I live for Roblox, and we couldn’t be more excited to create this festive metaverse experience for everyone”
“Christmas is my absolute favourite time of the year!” says Carey. “This year, I wanted to do something different to ring in the holiday season. My kids and I live for Roblox, and we couldn’t be more excited to create this festive metaverse experience for everyone!”
The singer will be performing two other Christmas-themed concerts this month, at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Sunday 11 December and New York’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday 13 December. The latter show will be televised a week later as a two-hour primetime special on CBS.
Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ has become a signature holiday song since it was released in 1994. Last December, the track topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the third year in a row, making it the first song in history to top the charts three separate times.
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Mariah Carey performs free in Dubai Expo 2020 launch
A year to the day before Dubai hosts a six-month long World Expo event, Mariah Carey is due to perform in a free concert at Burj Park.
The concert, dubbed One Year to Go, will take place on 20 October, with local singer Hussain Al Jassmi, as well as acts DJ Bliss, Abri and the Funk Radius and Khalifa also billed to perform.
The Expo, which was awarded to Dubai in 2013 by the International Exposition Bureau in Paris, will take place on a main 438-hectare site enclosed by three thematic districts – opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
A variety of live performances, cultural activities, business presentations and global celebrations will occur during the Expo.
The United Arab Emirates is also hosting live performances at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Formula One race from 28 November to December 1. Lana Del Rey will perform in the Middle East for the first time at the event, alongside EDM star Marshmello, the Killers and rapper Travis Scott.
In December, British singer Dido will perform and Dubai’s Media City Amphitheatre (15,000-cap.) and Bruno Mars will close out the year with a headline New Year’s show at the du Arena (25,000-cap.) in Abu Dhabi.
Last month, AEG Ogden, the operator of Dubai’s 17,000-capacity Coca-Cola Arena, celebrated the role the arena was playing in placing the UAE – and the wider region – on the international touring map.
Read more about the Middle East’s growing live events market below.
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Mariah Carey-headlined Livewire Festival axed
Livewire Festival 2018, which was to have been the surprise location for Mariah Carey’s only UK festival date this year, has been cancelled due to promoter illness.
A spokesperson for Manchester-based Livewire Events says the Blackpool event, whose mum-friendly line-up also featured Matt Goss and Boyz II Men, has been postponed to 2019 due to the “ill health of key personnel”. According to company filings, Livewire’s sole director is artist manager Andrew Falconer, of Piper Music Management.
“Discussions are currently underway with some of the artists’ representatives to determine participation in Livewire 2019,” the spokesperson adds.
“The decision was made due to the ill health of key personnel at the local promoter, Manchester-based Livewire Events”
Ticketholders have been advised to seek refunds from the point of purchase.
Livewire Festival debuted last year, selling out its 20,000 capacity with a nostalgia heavy bill topped by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, the Jacksons and ‘the Hit Factory Live’ featuring Jason Donovan, Go West, Sinitta and more.
The event had expanded from three to four days for 2018, and was once again set take place at the Tower Headlands Arena (20,000-cap.) in Blackpool, a seaside resort in north-west England.
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Mariah Carey sues South American promoter
Mariah Carey has sued South American promoter FEG Entretenimientos over two cancelled shows in Argentina and Chile.
Via a lawsuit filed by Mirage Entertainment in an LA court on Tuesday, Carey claims FEG breached elements of their contract on “three seperate occasions” and she was forced to cancel the gigs that were due to take place October 28 and 30, according to Billboard.
The suit claims no payments were made as required, either “late, insufficient, or totally unpaid.” That meant Carey and team either needed to risk travelling costs to make the gigs without guarantee of payment, or cancel, said attorney Bryan Freedman.
He continued: “Defendants put Ms. Carey in the unenviable position of having to cancel the shows and incur the reputational damage of such cancellation.” The debacle has reportedly cost Carey over $1 million in damages.
Carey is seeking full payment for the shows, as per rights allegedly set out in the contract between her and FEG.
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