Shannon Hoyt
After a failed attempt at a performance on New Year’s Eve, Mariah Carey had fallen into a state of embarrassment. Seeking redemption, she was looking to reperform an identical show for any stage that would take her. However, national platforms had not shown interest in her mission.
A few weeks after Carey’s proposition, longtime fan and willing participant Chancellor Bob Meyer of the University of Wisconsin–Stout found inspiration in her misfortune, allowing our American singing icon to recreate her performance on the Memorial Student Center’s terrace.
“Unfortunately, the stage in the Great Hall was reserved for a performance by our Stout Drum Club,” added Meyer.
On Friday, Jan. 13, Carey took the stage, eager to perform the holiday classic, “Auld Lang Syne,” her 1991 hit “Emotions” and ending with “We Belong Together.” However, due to most of the campus population being gone for winter break and the fact that it wasn’t New Years Eve anymore, the turnout was lacking.
The minute the performance began, the dominos of disaster started to tip. “I noticed right away there was a problem with Carey’s earpiece,” noted a student working for the Event Technology Crew. “I was the only one running the show, since everyone else was home for break.”
Carey appeared flustered as she tried to regain momentum, struggling to match her lip movements with the pre-recorded “Auld Lang Syne” lyrics. Once the second number began, it was clear that Carey had once again failed to deliver, Carey adding a familiar sarcasm: “Well that was…amazing.”
She attempted to pass “We Belong Together” off to the audience while continuing the choreography with three members of the UW–Stout Dance Ensemble.
Carey finished, later retweeting her New Year’s Eve response, “S@#$ happens. Have a happy and healthy new year everybody! Here’s to making more headlines in 2017.”
“Well, they say the sequels are never any better,” added Meyer.