The Adventures of Mimi Tour
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- For the upcoming DVD of the tour, see The Adventures of Mimi Tour DVD
| The Adventures of Mimi Tour | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Tour by Mariah Carey | ||
| Start date | July 22, 2006 | |
| End date | October 28, 2006 | |
| Legs | 3 | |
| Shows | 2 in Africa 32 in North America 6 in Asia 40 in Total 5 Cancelled |
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| Mariah Carey tour chronology | ||
| Charmbracelet World Tour (2003-2004) |
The Adventures of Mimi Tour (2006) |
TBA |
The Adventures of Mimi Tour was a 2006 concert tour of arenas by American R&B/pop singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. Named after a fan's "Carey-centric" diary of the same name,[1] the bus tour started in late July and ended in October, with two stops in Africa, twenty-five stops in the United States, seven in Canada, and seven in Asia.
Contents |
[edit] History
Unlike her previous tour, the Charmbracelet World Tour, three years prior, Mariah started this tour 16 months after the release of her latest album, the extremely successful The Emancipation of Mimi. She had initially not wanted to tour, dreading the long travel times and not needing one to promote the already best-selling Mimi. But after requests from fans to appear in concert, she decided to do so to celebrate one of the best times in her career.[2]
Similar to the past tour, Carey gave her fans the chance to submit their ideas for set lists and for the title of the tour. Her long-time musical partner and American Idol judge Randy Jackson joined her tour as the musical director, although he did not often appear at shows due to concurrent Idol auditions.
During the tour, Carey revamped her image as a performer, performing remixes of her songs, dancing along a bit with her dancers, having guests onstage, and going into the middle of each arena onto a checkerboard B stage to perform "Fantasy", "Always Be My Baby" and her last Billboard Hot 100 number one hit, "Don't Forget About Us". (The B stage had become an increasing popular way for large-venue performers to get closer to their audience ever since U2 introduced it on their 1992 Zoo TV Tour.) The main stage was a two-level affair, with the band situated on the lower level, backed by strands of glittering material, and a staircase between the two. Carey's "MC" logo was present in several places.
Once again, Carey invited her long-time friend and back-up singer Trey Lorenz to sing "I'll Be There" and One Sweet Day with her and perform several songs on his own during one of her costume changes. Except for an occasional guest appearance, raps on her songs were the pre-recorded originals, with the rapper shown on the video screens.
At her August 15 show in Montreal, Carey reportedly had a "wardrobe malfunction". She was singing on the B stage and suddenly, in her own words, "the twins" almost came out of her top.
During breaks in the tour, Carey reportedly was continuing to write and develop concept ideas, and possibly record, for a new album.
The tour ended with unfortunate drama as her concluding Hong Kong performance was cancelled because of what is claimed to be low ticket sales and what promoters said were the pop star's "unreasonable demands." [1] In response, tour manager Benny Medina said 8,000 tickets had been sold (compared to the promoter's claim of 4,000), and blamed the cancellation on the promoter's failure to pay Carey money that was due to her. "If there were only 10 people in this venue, and this particular promoter ... had fulfilled his contractual obligations, we would be there. Mariah Carey loves her fans in Southeast Asia," Medina said. "He has defaulted several times, right up into the last 48 hours. Literally we tried to hang in there with this guy."[citation needed]
[edit] Tour Personnel
[edit] Production staff
[edit] Executives
- Manager: Benny Medina
- Co-Manager: Mark Sudack
- Tour Executive: Michael Richardson
- Handprint Entertainment: Melissa Ruderman
- Maroon Entertainment: Gina Rainville
[edit] Show
- Tour Manager: Teri Lynn
- Show Director: Barry Lather
- Musical Director: Randy Jackson
- Choreography: Rich & Tone
- Choreographer: Rachel McIntosh
- Lighting/Set Design: Justin Collie/Art Fag
- Sound Design: Mike McKnight
- Sound Engineer: Howard Page
- Video Director: Chris Keating
- Vignettes: Directed By Spike Lee
- Frefall Intro: Bill Boatman & Michael Shores
- Security: Darrel Clark
- Security: Rob Payne
- Make-Up Design: Paul Starr
- Hair: Lou Ablahani
- Costume Designer: June Ambrose
- Dressmaker: Nile Cmylo
- Personal Assistant/ LAC LMT: Lisa Ripi
- Personal Trainer: Patricia Gay
[edit] On-stage performers
[edit] Band
- Keyboards: Eric Daniels
- Keyboards: Lamonte Neuble
- Drums: Jerohn Garnett
- Bass/Keyboards: James Butler
- Background, duet, and featured vocals: Trey Lorenz
- Background vocals: MaryAnn Tatum
- Background vocals: Sherry Tatum
[edit] Dancers
- Rachel McIntosh
- Eddie Morales
- Earl Wright
- Michelle Brooke
- Bryan Tanaka
- Russel Wright
[edit] Special guest appearances
- Da Brat - Atlanta, New York City, Wantagh, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles
- Jermaine Dupri - Atlanta
- Diddy - New York City
- Jadakiss - New York City
- Styles P - New York City
- Jay-Z - New York City
- Choir and pastor from True Worship Church in East New York - New York City, East Rutherford, Wantagh
- Mario Barrett - East Rutherford
- Jack (Mariah's Jack Russell Terrier) - Wantagh
- Mike Jones - Houston
- Boyz II Men - Anaheim
- Chris Brown - Los Angeles
[edit] Opening acts
Sean Paul or Busta Rhymes were the main opening acts for the show. Sean Paul did most of the first shows with a set that lasted approxiamtely 40 minutes. Busta Rhymes opened most of the latter half of the shows with his sidekick Spliff Star. R&B singer Ne-Yo opened the show in San Diego, while rapper Chingy opened the show in Anaheim. The show at Mohegan Sun and Tokyo's Budokan had no opening act at all.
[edit] Setlist
This is the setlist performed most frequently.[3]
Main stage
Rollercoaster film with Mariah narration
Costume 1 - black bikini lingerie with cape
- "It's Like That"
- "Heartbreaker" Remix / Original Version
- "Dreamlover"
- "My All" / "My All" (Morales' Remix)
- "Shake It Off"
DJ Clue break - old school cuts
Costume 2 - yellow/orange gown
- "Vision Of Love"
- "Fly Like a Bird"
- "I'll Be There" duet with Trey Lorenz
Trey Lorenz break - "Never Too Much", "A House Is Not a Home", "Crazy"
B stage
Costume 3 - bikini top with capri pants and a chain
Back to main stage
- "Honey"
DJ Clue break - current hiphop and club cuts
Costume 4 - green/turquoise gown
- "I Wish You Knew" (snippet)
- "Can't Let Go" (snippet)
- "Thank God I Found You"/"Make It Last" (snippet)
- "One Sweet Day" (snippet or fuller treatment, often with male guest singer, with original collaborators Boyz II Men in Anaheim)
- "Hero"
- "Make It Happen" (only performed at certain dates on the tour)
Encore
Costume 5 - beige gown
Band only, as Mariah leaves - "Butterfly" (Reprise)
Japan Encore Costume 5 - Christmas costume
- "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Japan exclusive, with Christmas trees on stage. T-shirt gifts thrown into the crowd, confetti spray as "snow" and then butteryfly confetti shot into the crowd)
Band only, as Mariah is carried away by two guys - "Butterfly" (Reprise)
Other songs performed at individual shows included "Without You", "Stay the Night", "Breakdown", "I Wish You Knew", and snippets of "I Know What You Want", "Friend of Mine", "Melt Away", "Close My Eyes" ,"My Saving Grace", "Joyride", "Love Takes Time" and "Your Girl". The setlist was often tweaked, sometimes changing snippets to a full treatment, cutting out Spike Lee's video skits, or even foregoing construction of the B Stage. Even once she sang incomplete some songs that were on full length elsewhere on the tour, such as "Make It Happen", and in some cities she omitted the encore and directly performs "We Belong Together" and the close of the main set. At certain shows, DJ Suss One appeared as the DJ instead of DJ Clue.
[edit] Tour dates
Of note is that Carey never schedules shows in two consecutive nights, as she "actually [has] to have a full day and a half off between shows, whereas most touring artists do it every night," and she spends her down time preserving her voice by not talking and "sitting in a humidified room, sleeping."[2]
[edit] Commercial reception
| Date | Venue | Attendance | Ticket Grossing | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tickets Sold | Tickets On Sale | Percentage Sold | |||
| August 5, 2006 | AmericanAirlines Arena - Miami, FL | 13,156 | 13,156 | 100% | $1,074,620 |
| August 7, 2006 | St. Pete Times Forum - Tampa, FL | 13,354 | 13,542 | 98.6% | $714,455 |
| August 9, 2006 | Philips Arena - Atlanta, GA | 11,226 | 13,288 | 84.5% | $660,595 |
| August 11, 2006 | Wachovia Center - Philadelphia, PA | 15,160 | 15,160 | 100% | $979,702 |
| August 13, 2006 | Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON | 13,532 | 13,532 | 100% | $1,019,580 |
| August 15, 2006 | Bell Centre - Montreal, QC | 13,200 | 14,161 | 93% | $1,046,560 |
| August 21, 2006 | TD Banknorth Garden - Boston, MA | 11,993 | 14,922 | 80% | $1,034,794 |
| August 23, 2006 | Madison Square Garden - New York City, NY | 13,930 | 13,930 | 100% | $1,300,400 |
| August 27, 2006 | Continental Airlines Arena - East Rutherford, NJ | 12,697 | 13,525 | 94% | $1,076,790 |
| August 29, 2006 | Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON | 13,532 | 13,532 | 100% | $1,019,581 |
| September 1, 2006 | Pepsi Arena - Albany, NY | 6,519 | 6,519 | 100% | $449,248 |
| September 3, 2006 | Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Wantagh, NY | 11,725 | 13,855 | 85% | $654,534 |
| September 7, 2006 | Verizon Center - Washington, DC | 12,121 | 14,199 | 85.3% | $839,643 |
| September 9, 2006 | Palace of Auburn Hills - Auburn Hills, MI | 12,804 | 12,804 | 100% | $894,399 |
| September 11, 2006 | United Center - Chicago, Ill | 12,958 | 13,930 | 93% | $919,268 |
| September 14, 2006 | Toyota Center - Houston, TX | 11,252 | 11,830 | 95% | $828,293 |
| September 16, 2006 | American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX | 10,521 | 11,494 | 91% | $806,096 |
| September 19, 2006 | MTS Centre - Winnipeg, MB | 8,915 | 9,557 | 93% | $611,223 |
| September 21, 2006 | Rexall Place - Edmonton, AB | 12,013 | 12,578 | 96% | $880,306 |
| September 23, 2006 | GM Place - Vancouver, BC | 14,189 | 14,652 | 97% | $1,223,100 |
| September 25, 2006 | Pengrowth Saddledome - Calgary, AB | 11,984 | 11,984 | 100% | $815,242 |
| September 27, 2006 | ARCO Center - Sacramento, CA | 12,353 | 12,510 | 99% | $938,106 |
| September 30, 2006 | MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV | 13,730 | 13,730 | 100% | $1,844,530 |
| October 2, 2006 | Oakland Arena - Oakland, CA | 12,510 | 13,585 | 92% | $960,369 |
| October 4, 2006 | IPayOne Center - San Diego, CA | 9,480 | 10,000 | 95% | $765,431 |
| October 6, 2006 | Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA | 12,844 | 13,882 | 92% | $1,230,397 |
| October 8, 2006 | Honda Center - Anaheim, CA | 11,475 | 12,024 | 95% | $918,283 |
| October 10, 2006 | US Airways Arena - Phoenix, AZ | 12,049 | 13,136 | 92% | $880,739 |
| TOTALS | 341,222 | 361,017 | 94.5% | $26,386,290 | |
Note: Shows in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Denver, and Seattle were originally scheduled, but cancelled due to low ticket sales.[5] A planned second Madison Square Garden date was also scrapped.[5] At least nine shows on the tour sold out, while dates were added in Canada.[5] (Canada offered her fast ticket sales and a favorable financial conditions.)[6] Sales in Japan have been quite strong [3], although as previously mentioned the final show in Hong Kong was cancelled allegedly partly due to low ticket sales. [2] Several shows were unreported to Billboard due to embarrassing ticket sales.
[edit] Critical reception
Reviews of the tour were generally positive. Most critics celebrated Carey's transformation from a pop star to a full-fledged hip hop artist. They also praised her vocal performances saying that was the main attraction of the spectacle.[5]
Other critics commented on the short length of the show, especially given that she was offstage for several breaks while undergoing costume changes,[7][8] while others felt Carey was trying too hard to make the public like her, especially in terms of the "rollercoaster" metaphor she used to begin the show.[9]
Also many European fans felt betrayed because Carey did not take her tour over there. Critics on both sides of the Atlantic questioned this decision because countries like Germany, France and the UK are normally definitively included in her tours as Carey is popular in those territories (The Emancipation of Mimi is 1x platinum in Europe). On the other hand, Carey did appear in Africa for the first time ever.
[edit] Broadcasts and recordings
According to her musical director Randy Jackson, the show at Honda Center in Anaheim on October 8, 2006 will apparently be used for a future DVD release and possibly a television special. Indeed, Carey had a pre-concert taping at the Anaheim location, apparently in order to include fans, regulate the lighting, and review other technical aspects in preparation for the night's actual concert taping. The DVD's name will be: The Adventures of Mimi Tour DVD. The DVD will be released in Fall 2007.
[edit] References
- ^ MSN Mariah Carey takes on Madonna with new tour
- ^ a b Asbury Park Press, AP story by Nekesa Mumbi Moody, August 11, 2006.
- ^ a b c Mariah Daily August 2005 news archive
- ^ Newsday Mariah Carey hits the Garden, just like that
- ^ a b c d Newsday What's wrong with Mariah Carey?
- ^ Billboard.com Mariah Looking To Tour For Musical Inspiration
- ^ The Connecticut Post Mariah Carey concert disappointing
- ^ Mass Live Mariah Carey performance brief
- ^ Palm Beach Post Mariah Carey concert review
Studio albums: Mariah Carey · Emotions · Music Box · Merry Christmas · Daydream · Butterfly · Rainbow · Glitter · Charmbracelet · The Emancipation of Mimi
Albums · Singles · Awards · Tours · DVDs and videos
