Mariah Carey’s redemption: Fans fire up diva’s successful Manila gig

Mariah Carey in concert at Mall of Asia Arena. Photo by Pocholo Concepcion

MANILA, Philippines–Mariah Carey redeemed whatever tarnished reputation she may have suffered in the past few weeks by turning in a good performance on Tuesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena, which ended the first half of her Asian-Oceania tour to promote her “Elusive Chanteuse” album.

Like a true professional musician, the singer took control of her vocals, knowing when to change keys and improvise on her songs’ notes so as not to embarrass everyone especially herself. She even flaunted her vaunted whistles toward the end of some numbers, much to the delight of her Filipino fans.

Though her aging pipes sounded a far cry from her peak years as a pop diva, Carey nonetheless pulled through–not necessarily with flying colors, but with enough high marks to still be considered relevant.