As the old joke that stopped being funny years ago and somehow became tradition goes: Mariah’s annual defrosting has begun.
Mariah Carey is taking Christmastime back across the Atlantic this winter, with four festive shows announced for the UK and Malta. It marks her first UK Christmas run since 2018, which means British Lambs have spent the better part of a decade surviving December without Mariah personally informing them what she wants for Christmas.
Not that we’re about to reduce Mariah Carey to Christmas. This is, after all, the woman who ruled the charts throughout the ’90s, has amassed 19 US number ones and possessed a voice that, at its peak, seemed to regard normal human limits as merely advisory. But there is no denying that something wonderfully fuzzy and camp happens when Mariah and Christmas are put together. The association has become so deeply embedded in popular culture that separating the two now feels a little like trying to separate Easter from the Easter Bunny.
The dates are:
- 27 November — Utilita Arena, Birmingham
- 30 November — The O2, London
- 2 December — Co-op Live, Manchester
- 8 December — Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre, Ta’ Qali, Malta
Carey announced the shows with the fairly restrained message, “My Christmastime tour is coming to the UK & Malta! I can’t wait to celebrate with you all!” Which, translated from Mariah, presumably means snow machines, several gowns, enough lighting to be visible from space and at least one moment where a choir appears from nowhere.
The show promises a mixture of Mariah’s festive catalogue, fan favourites and the global hits, with All I Want for Christmas Is You inevitably waiting somewhere near the top of the Christmas tree.
And unlike the usual concert announcement where everyone gets three days to set alarms, memorise presale codes and enter a small psychological war with Ticketmaster, tickets are available from today, 25 September.
Demand appears to be doing its part already. MaltaShows, the ticket reseller handling the Malta date, reportedly went down for several hours after the announcement under the weight of all that festive enthusiasm.
So if your idea of Christmas involves Mariah Carey, fake snow, vocal acrobatics and being surrounded by several thousand gay men who know every ad-lib from 1994, congratulations.
Your Christmas plans have been made for you.
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