Mariah Carey's ‘Christmas Time’ comes to an end
NEW YORK
Carey has turned the song into an event, regularly hosting Christmas concerts to celebrate her undisputed smash and long career as a holiday icon. This year, she embarked on the “Christmas Time” tour, a variety show that kicked off on Nov. 6 in Highland, California, hitting many major North American cities, before concluding on Dec. 17 night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
It came to an end in front of a crowd donning shimmery Santa hats and red sequin party dresses. Carey descended onto the stage in a snowflake-shaped throne, leading the audience into a few church staples: “Silent Night” and “O Holy Night” among them.
Her children, twins Roc and Roe, joined in on the fun. At one point, Carey detoured into a medley of her biggest hits: “Emotions,” “Hero," “Fantasy” and “We Belong Together” among them.
The latter moment came with an unexpected surprise: the elusive Rihanna was in the audience, and Carey signed her chest during an arena-wide sing-a-long of “Always Be My Baby.” Ri disappeared as quickly as she emerged, but Carey kept the momentum up, concluding the only way she could — with a spirited rendition of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Earlier this year, Carey's first Christmas album, 1994's “Merry Christmas,” turned 30. She told The Associated Press she originally felt apprehensive to record a holiday album and then gave in to the festive spirit.
“I was very young and was just starting out and I felt like people do Christmas albums later in their lives. But now people have started to do them whenever, like right at the top of their career,” she said. “And I decorated the studio and just had the best time.”