As a big fan of Mariah Carey, I was more than happy to pick up her DVD. I've seen her on her last three tours in Toronto, so I knew what to expect from the concert portion of this DVD. Here are the cons and pros of this DVD-set:
Cons:
- I don't like how it is mixed. Her vocals are too high in the mix, while the music is too low. You can really notice the wear and tear in her voice more-so this way.
- Her dance moves are less than stellar (although I do appreciate the effort)
- Her outfits are atrocious. I actually think she looks good in this concert (body-wise), but she needs to cover up a bit and let her talent be the forefront because the wardrobe looks tacky.
Pros:
- Her set-list from her last three tours hasn't changed drastically, so anyone who was disappointed for the "Rainbow" and "Charmbracelet" tours not being commercially available, you need not worry anymore.
- She performs the majority of her hits, and she doesn't really miss anything that significant (except her biggest international hit, "Without You"), so it's a really good retrospective of her career. She also sings the more popular Bad Boy remixes of "Fantasy" and "Honey (which has a portion of the 'So So Def Remix' with JD), and ends "My All" with the David Morales Remix.
- Although her voice has been deteriorating over the years, it doesn't sound horrible and she puts in great effort to making a good vocal performance. I know some parts are pre-recorded and I'm sure there is some dubbing going on for this DVD, but most of it is live.
- Her duet with special guests Boyz II Men is a show stopping performance. It was a very emotional moment.
- The bonus features are very entertaining. Especially the documentary which takes you behind the scenes on the tour and where Mariah discusses why she chose the songs that she did etc.
Overall. the cons greatly outweigh the cons. I do not think Mariah is the horrible performer that people make her out to be. She can sing, she has a true connection with her fans (whom she appreciates) when she performs, she sings all the mega-hits and the whole spectacle looks great. If you're not a big Mariah fan, you probably will not thoroughly enjoy this, but if you're a true fan, you will be delighted with this DVD. I recommend it.
