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A famous show-biz adage says never to follow animals or cuddly kids on stage. Mariah Carey did both Thursday at Staples Center in the opening night of her first U.S. tour in eight years.
The pop-soul diva threw in everything but the kitchen sink (although a prop refrigerator was used) in an often grueling two- hour set that was long on artifice but woefully short on artistry.
Carey seemed to be coasting while making little effort in the sold- out love fest. Maybe it's because her record sales of 128 million have paid Sony Music's rent for years that the entire show was apparently designed not to tire the cooing gold mine.
In a performance packed with time-consuming video segments, tacky set pieces that included a pseudo-boxing match, a beauty pageant and dance routines, plus a...