Carey opens in Vegas

Las Vegas - On a fairground set and with a wardrobe of glittering gowns, Mariah Carey opened her Las Vegas residency, hitting many of the high notes she is famous for.

One of the best-selling women solo artists of the last two decades, she is performing her 18 No. 1 hits in the show, Mariah #1 To Infinity, at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace.

The Grammy winner, known for songs such as Hero and When You Believe, displayed her multi-octave range as she performed on a fairground set complete with a merry-go-round, roller coaster and ferris wheel, reported Reuters.

As her shimmering dresses changed throughout the show on Wednesday night, so did the set, which was adorned towards the end of the show with chandeliers and butterfly patterns.

The 45-year-old pop star received a standing ovation from the audience at the end of the show, which runs until July 26.

Reviews for the star were largely positive except for a scathing one published in The New York Times.

In his review of the concert, music critic Jon Caramanica referred to the singer's recent "markedly off-base" concerts which received media scrutiny because she failed to hit the high notes she is known for.

He wrote that her Vegas debut was "largely difficult", "tentative and inconsistent" and said the show "displayed a minimum of imagination and effort", adding that "Carey is still durable and sometimes excellent, but her once-transcendent voice is like decaying manufacturing machinery: It still churns, but the product might be polished or dinged."

Referring to her two-year Vegas residency of more than 50 concerts, he wrote: "That she's embarking upon something like this is already a sign of defeat: The show consists of her 18 No. 1 Billboard hits and the last of those came in 2008."

Las Vegas has become a safe haven for setting stars, from Celine Dion to Shania Twain to Britney Spears, he added.

Carey has a new record deal with Epic and a hits collection, #1 To Infinity, due this month.

This article was first published on May 9, 2015.
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