It was within easy driving distance (no flight required) for me, and I easily got a fantastic second-row seat at a decent price (always an attendance factor), but on the other side, I'll admit I haven't really followed her music since the '90s when she switched from soaring pop ballads and bubbly bops to an edgier hip-hop R&B style, so it was my inner 10-year-old fan girl who sprang for the ticket, hoping for a taste of vintage Mariah, and crossed my fingers that she would show up on time (or heck, show up at all) and sound great (she hasn't had a great reputation lately for either).
I also hoped for driveable weather, which can be hard to come by in upstate New York in March, but I lucked out, garnering cool but sunny and snow-free weather on the day of the show. I booked a nearby hotel room regardless of weather for the night so I wouldn't have to drive home exhausted after the show and got a Lyft to and from the show.
I wasn't entirely sure of the scheduled start time. My ticket said 8:00 PM, but I also saw advertisements for a 7:30 PM start time, so I played it safe (as usual) and arrived at Shea's Performing Arts Center at 7:05, briefly waiting outside in a short line before walking in, scanning my ticket, and buying a bottle of water. As common sense would have told me, I needn't have rushed. I waited outside my seating section, flattening myself against the wall to avoid the crush of fellow patrons, some of whom were standing and waiting and some who were pushing through the crowd to buy refreshments and merchandise.
Finally, after 30 minutes of waiting, the orchestra doors opened and I found my second-row unobstructed-view seat between two pairs of twenty-somethings. (The audience was an equal mixture of young and middle-aged music fans, a testament to the remarkable length of Mariah's career, starting with her hit 1990 debut album, and enduring popularity.)
But my waiting was far from over. At 8:00 PM, the scheduled start time, Mariah's apparent (unbilled) opening act DJ Suss One came onstage and hyped up the audience with high-energy dance tracks by departed music legends Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, Rick James, and Aretha Franklin. It was fun at first, but after approximately 30 minutes of promising that Mariah was "just minutes away" from taking the stage, most of the audience had taken their seats, conserving the rest of their energy for her long-awaited appearance.
Thankfully it was worth the wait when she finally strolled onstage at nearly 9 PM in a slinky silver glittery Vegas number. She had the right mix of old and new music, including the familiar '90s hits I'd hoped for - "Dreamlover," "Emotions," "Anytime You Need a Friend," "Fantasy," "Always Be My Baby" (highlighted by photos and videos of her babies, Roc and Roe, who ran onstage at the end), "My All," "Love Takes Time" - and a few of the best from her new Caution album, including the title track, "A No No" and "GTFO." My favorite part of the show was the Glitter medley "Roller Disco" portion, punctuated with #justiceforglitter banners carried by her muscular backup dancers.
She seemed to enjoy the performance and made it fun for the audience, expressing appreciation for her "lambs'" devotion, signing programs for some of the front-row patrons, changing her costume half a dozen times, and showcasing her signature vocal range, proving she still has it, at least on occasion.
The only criticism I can muster is that it ended too soon. She wasn't onstage longer than an hour. I stayed in my seat for awhile after she left the stage and the lights came on, thinking there must be more, an encore, a second half? Nope. After belting out "Hero," one of her signature numbers, Mariah, ever elusive, had left the building and I followed suit, returning to my hotel by 10:30 PM, slightly disappointed but thoroughly entertained.
