Mariah Carey at Brighton Pride review – even the shirtless dancers can’t distract from how stop-start this is

Preston Park, Brighton
Playing to a crowd of devotees, Carey’s voice largely still holds up, but the energy drops off due to a rushed setlist and too many interludes

Mariah Carey famously said she doesn’t acknowledge the “passage of time”, so true to form, she arrives to headline at Brighton Pride five years after she was originally scheduled to appear. The delay clearly hasn’t put off the throngs of devoted Lambs (Carey’s stans), displaying their fandom with T-shirts referencing other quotes from the diva such as “I don’t know her” and “I don’t have time for the rigmarole”.

Carey appears wearing a trans flag-inspired pink, blue and white minidress and a leather jacket embroidered with the slogan “Protect the Dolls”. The opening is relentless as she storms through snippets of Type Dangerous, Emotions, Make It Happen, I’ll Be There, Vision of Love and Dreamlover. While her voice is not as pristine as it once was, her whistle register is still intact and thrills the crowd every time.