Imagine if Barbra Streisand didn’t sing “People.” Or if Aretha Franklin didn’t end her show with “Respect.” Or Paul McCartney dropped “Yesterday” from his song list.
That’s what’s happened to Mariah Carey. She hasn’t sung her first, and arguably biggest, hit once on her spring tour of the UK and Scandinavia that began back on March 15th. In fact, Mariah hasn’t sung any songs from her first, self titled album from 1990, or even her latest release, “Infinity.”
The other songs she used to sing regularly from the first album were “Love Takes Time” and “Someday.” But like “Vision of Love” they are all hard to perform with assistance in plain view. It’s not like it’s 1990 anymore. Most of the songs she’s performing now on tour can be prettied up with not so visible augmentation.
The last time Mariah performed “Vision of Love” was in Las Vegas in February, and it went pretty well (there is something obvious background vocal help, etc, but she gets it done).
Maybe she’s just tired of those songs. But she hasn’t tired of the songs she IS singing. Her set list on tour has been exactly the same without any variation. Considering Mariah touts her “14 number 1’s” or whatever, I’m surprised she hasn’t mixed it up at all. Not once.
The “Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour” continues through Europe, ending in Johanessburg, South Africa on May 2nd. Maybe Mariah will change her mind, and kick “Vision of Love” back into the set.
