On Thursday night, Mariah Carey transformed Dallas' American Airlines Center into the North Pole on the sixth stop of her Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time tour. The 20-stop tour celebrates the 30-year anniversary of Carey’s first holiday album, Merry Christmas, which includes the mega-hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Over the years, Dallas (and every other city in the world) has developed a love-hate relationship with the unofficial Christmas anthem. One bar went as far as banning patrons from prematurely playing the song (apparently Mariah season starts on Dec. 1), but the Scrooges are outnumbered. Thursday night proved it’s never too early to celebrate Christmas in Dallas.
Concert attendees dressed in their chicest holiday attire. 'Tis the season to sparkle! Women dressed in glamorous red gowns and shimmering Mrs. Claus costumes. Families arrived in matching pajamas and sweaters. Men wore their best holiday-patterned suits and red sequin blazers.
Spirits were high as DJ Suss One, Carey’s DJ since the 2005 release of Carey’s The Emancipation of Mimi, played a 45-minute set. A sea of Santa hats sang along to a tribute to DMX, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Tuna Turner, Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. before diving into Carey’s discography.
The room went dark as Carey’s daughters filled the stadium with a sweet excerpt from Carey’s children’s picture book The Christmas Princess. Bells thrummed and it was “tiiiiiiiiiiiime.”
Dancers dressed as toy soldiers marched on stage and danced to George Balanchine's choreography for "The Nutcracker Act II: Sugarplum Fairy.” The white drapery backdrop fell as the Queen of Christmas descended angelically from the ceiling.
The Grammy-winning Christmas icon spread holiday cheer with classics, modern twists and her greatest hits.
Elijah Smith
The holiday cheer healed the audience so much, they couldn't help but smother themselves.
Elijah Smith
“I feel your joy, it’s what the world needs,” Carey softly told the audience.
For “Christmas Time in the Air Tonight Again,” her contemporary dancers sprang into a moving performance. Throughout the night, the dancers proved to be pivotal to the show. While Carey devoted herself to song, her dancers gave their all, delivering emotion-evoking performances.
“That’s what I love about Christmas, it just brings people together,” the chart-topping songstress said before singing “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home).”
The audience erupted when Carey announced her “two most favorite people in the world,” her teenage twins with ex-husband Nick Cannon, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon.
Rising from underground, Moroccan on the drums and Monroe on guitar delivered a family-friendly set including “Deck the Halls” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”
There comes a day when you realize that holiday cheer comes from a specific person, someone who went above and beyond to create cherished memories and bring joy. Maybe it's Mom or Grandma or your crazy aunt who spikes the eggnog. Maybe it's Mariah. Right in the heart of Victory Park, the Cannon twins saw their mother bring joy to thousands of adults when they needed it the most.
“You know who really runs Christmas,” the kids shouted. “Mariah Carey!”
Carey returned to the stage in a curve-hugging, off-the-shoulder, long-sleeve sequined red mini dress. Silver snowflake embellishments dazzled the crowd.
The Grammy-winning singer was in all her glory for “Miss You Most (at Christmastime).” Under the spotlight alone, Carey took the audience's breath away with a solo performance.
During another not-so-quick interlude, the kids once again stole the show. Moroccan rapped as young dancers riled up the crowd with a dance-off. The choir serenaded the audience with heavenly renditions of “Fall in Love at Christmas” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
Carey reappeared in a silver rhinestone gown with a matching cape before breaking into her iconic whistling high notes for her greatest hits. “Emotions,” “Hero,” “Fantasy,” “Always Be My Baby” and “We Belong Together” are the gifts that keep on giving. The audience sang along with the living legend.
The grand finale was a top-tier production. A secondary stage descended from the ceiling to host a choir. The band reemerged in festive red glistening blazers. Dancers pranced on stage dressed as nutcrackers. Wearing a red and gold bodysuit, Carey reentered the stage drawn on a sleigh to close out the show with the ultimate gift to the audience, her multimillion-dollar-raking hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
Couples embraced. Families swayed. All the worry, stress and polarization of the last month seemed to melt away. In that arena, good tidings and cheer took over.
Silver confetti snowed down on the audience as Carey, Moroccan and Monroe climbed onto the sleigh and rode off into the night. For one healing night, Christmas magic was felt by all.
