Lunamania

It was awesome. Thanks to the newly appreciative Mariah Monkey, I got to spend last night immersed in Mariah Carey's sheer diva-ness.

Highlights of the evening include:

Realizing I was actually in the same building as Mariah Carey. Sure, it's a sports arena that seats nearly 20,000, but it's the same structure and re-cycled air. I mean, I was breathing the same air.

Joyous sensory overload as I counted six megatron projections of MC plus of course the real deal live. Note, this picture only captures 4 screens, but there's another screen on the right that doesn't appear in the frame AND on certain songs, that circle with MC in the middle fills with Mariah's image.

A fleeting moment of self-reflection as I caught myself screaming for a grown woman bathed in purple and pink lighting wearing nothing but her underwear. What exactly am I doing?

The monster Mimi sign descending from the rafters accompanied by the intro to Shake It Off.

Sighting a b-stage that was considerably closer to our seats. Monkey really enjoyed the giant disco ball action.

Mariah calling out, "Girl, I see your sign saying you want a hug. Arrange it with security and I'll take care of you later." Interesting...

MC shares that she actually wrote Hero for another artist, but her record company urged her to record it herself. She then admits that she "used to get bored singing this song, but..." I was so moved to learn that my least favorite Mariah Carey song was in fact a song that she finds boring. I mean, folks, I'm not completely startstruck. Hero is not her finest moment.

Catching one of my favorite lines in the tribute to ODB and her Fantasty remix-- "me and Mariah go back like baby's like pacifiers"

Busta "BWAH!" Rhymes and Spliff Star bringing on the Flip Mode Style. The post-dreadlocks Busta got the crowd hyped with his standards including, Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See, What It Is, Dangerous, Make it Clap, and that awful Pussy Cat Dolls song...Pass the Courvoisier (not his finest moment). I thought he might introduce Mariah Carey with a segue from I Know What You Want, but I was wrong. That would have been excellent.

Now I know there are plenty of haters out there who doubt Mariah Carey's talent and lasting power. I'm not saying she's the best or the only one out there, but let's just appreciate that with 17 number on singles (16 of which she wrote herself) she is not only the top selling female vocalist, she's second only behind Elvis. And she's like a freak of nature in her ability to hit those high notes. Plus she's gorgeous and I feel like I grew up with her. Vision of Love was one of the first CDs I ever bought. If you want critical acclaim from the true arbiters of highbrow culture, check out this New Yorker article.

I got some nice video and audio and some more pictures that I'll post later. Stay tuned...