When Mariah Carey returned to Abu Dhabi on Saturday as part of Saadiyat Nights, it marked her second appearance as part of the concert series, and it was not a mere retread.
Carey first opened Saadiyat Nights in 2024 with a show that leaned heavily into nostalgia and communal sing-alongs. Two years on, her latest performance felt more deliberate, more structured and more consciously pitched at an audience that knows her catalogue well.
Carey first performed in the UAE in 2004, at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, and this latest show was effectively her fifth appearance in the country over just more than two decades. Few artists of her generation have returned to the region often enough for audiences to have seen them across several phases of their career.
That long-standing relationship seemed to inform the choices she made on stage this time around. Rather than arriving with another standard greatest-hits run, Carey presented a set that felt designed for a fan base already familiar with her story.
The difference was apparent from the opening moments. After a brief montage tracing her career arc, set to the title track of her most recent album, Carey launched into Type Dangerous from latest album Here For It All. Mid-tempo and moody, it was not the most auspicious choice, but it immediately signalled that this would not be a nostalgia crawl. Instead, it pointed to a more deliberate, curated set of decisions.
From there, the set moved carefully between eras. Emotions followed, allowing Carey to showcase the dazzling clarity and precision of her voice, before easing into the breezier Touch My Body. There was still that sense of restraint. This was not about vocal acrobatics, but about phrasing, breath and sultriness, with Carey leaning into one of the strongest aspects of her singing style.
The show's four-act structure allowed her to neatly package her eras. The second act was perhaps the most satisfying, as it leaned more heavily into ballads such as Hero and Without You, songs that have long soundtracked everything from weddings to graduations. My All stood out in particular, rendered sparsely with Spanish-style guitar, with Carey's falsetto and intricate runs landing with pristine control.
RnB mid-tempo tracks such as Beautiful, I Know What You Want and Say Somethin' were grouped together, picking up steam and gradually bringing the audience to its feet. By the time Fantasy, Always Be My Baby and We Belong Together arrived, they were dancing in the aisle in jubilant party mode.
That said, there were notable omissions from her previous Abu Dhabi show. Fan favourites such as One Sweet Day and Love Takes Time were sorely missed. Taken together, however, it felt like a message. Carey may have given less of herself emotionally this time, but she offered more musically.
There was also a noticeable shift in her stage presence. Compared with 2024, Carey was more restrained, with less of the playful, self-aware humour and casual back-and-forth that previously softened the performance. For some, that restraint could read as distance, but it also reinforced the sense of focus that defined the night.
In doing so, the performance marked another chapter in her long-running relationship with the UAE. It was also a reminder that Saadiyat Nights has increasingly become a space where legacy artists can use the serene setting to provide a show in tune with where they are now, rather than simply revisiting the past.
(msn)
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