Mariah Carey Cancels A Show Of Her Vegas Residency After One Week With Vocal Trouble (Videos)

Mariah Carey Cancels A Show Of Her Vegas Residency After One Week With Vocal Trouble (Videos)

Months ago in the January 9, 2015 article "Mariah Carey Planning Las Vegas Residency But Will Her Voice Hold Up" the Judiciary Report stated pop singer Mariah Carey should not undertake a residency, which is a singer performing night after night at a venue. Yesterday, Carey cancelled her May 13, 2015 concert at Caesar's Palace, which was apart of her residency, just days into her stint in Las Vegas, Nevada. Carey is citing bronchitis, but she's actually having vocal trouble. The show will not be rescheduled. Fans who flew in are upset, as they've lost time and money and are disappointed. Critics are slamming Carey as well.

For the past few years the Judiciary Report has stated Carey's voice is badly damaged and needs rest and vocal retraining to help combat the deterioration of her vocal cords. Her fans kicked a fit on my Twitter page and I kicked back. However, I know music, write it, engineer it and understand singers' voices and could hear the damage developing regarding Carey's vocal cords.

A singer undertaking a concert tour or even more difficult, a residency, will punish and batter the voice in a sustained manner if one is not careful, especially a performer who often utilizes the beautiful technique of melisma. The Judiciary Report was not trying to be mean in stating Carey should avoid a residency at this time - it was practical advice regarding her vocal difficulties and the trouble that could and has now ensued.

Have you ever tried to sing for 60-90 minutes straight (and night after night). The throat will become parched, irritated and inflamed if you employ melisma often and you can develop headaches from belting out notes full force, as singers in Carey's genre do. It's not easy. For a damaged voice to undertake a residency is even more difficult and risky.

Carey's only other option was to lip sync the entire show, which would leave fans angry and critics like sharks spotting blood in the water. Performing night after night with vocal damage will only do more harm to the voice. Under those conditions one is supposed to rest the voice and seek treatment and therapy for it.

To illustrate my point regarding what has transpired with her voice, listen to the deterioration in Carey's voice from a strong 1991 live Soul Train performance of the George Michael/"Careless Whisper" sounding "Can't Let Go" by Carey to a 2013 concert performance of the same song, where she could not hit the high notes and asked the audience to do so, as she struggled whispering out the notes:

1991 - Mariah Carey "Can't Let Go" live on Soul Train:

2013 - Mariah Carey Live in Australia- Triumphant Tour - Can't Let Go / Love Takes Time:

5/13/2015 8:39 PM PDT - Mariah Carey's tour is already rocky and it's only been a week ... she's just cancelled Wednesday night's Vegas show. Our Mariah sources say the singer has bronchitis and her doctors have advised her not to use her voice. We're told so far only Wednesday night's show is cancelled and she has a couple of days off until the next scheduled performance. But it's uncertain she'll be able to perform. The cancellation came at the last minute. People have flown in for the show and we're told many have arrived at the venue, where they saw the sign that says "Tonight's performance has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled."