It’s beginning to look a lot like Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You is one of the hottest tickets in Las Vegas as Thanksgiving dinners give way to “Silver Bells” and “Silent Night.” The dynamic diva has made a tradition of dedicating concerts at Tannenbaum time to carols old and new, to the point of being as associated with the winter holidays as Bing Crosby was in his day. While Crosby’s signature song “White Christmas” is one of the only familiar favorites Carey hasn’t recorded for her seasonal albums, her own signature song lends its title to the show and has a special significance this year.
Carey released “All I Want for Christmas Is You” 25 years ago as the lead single from her first holiday album, Merry Christmas. Although not released commercially in the U.S., it became a radio hit in and reached No. 2 in the U.K. Carey wrote the song with longtime collaborator Walter Afanasieff, with no way to predict that it would become a standard and return to the charts again and again. It reached No. 3 the first week of January this year, has been performed in concert by dozens of entertainers and recorded by live by artists such as Michael Bublé and Lady Antebellum.
Carey herself has recorded it as a duet with Justin Bieber and includes a live version on her newly released Merry Christmas (Deluxe Anniversary Edition). The album features 18 extra tracks, with a half-dozen songs recorded at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan including “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World.” Both songs were part of her set last year when she toured Europe and the U.K. and in 2017 when she gave five Christmas concerts at the Colosseum, preceded by a holiday residency at New York’s Beacon Theatre.
It’s a dream come true for someone who loves Christmas as much as Carey does to be able to celebrate it by performing her own carol. Becoming the Queen of Christmas led Carey to other creative outlets for Carey as well. “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” like Crosby’s version of “White Christmas,” inspired a film. Carey first adapted the song as a book in 2015, and in 2017 lent her voice to an animated adaptation, Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You. That’s where Carey reveals who’s the “You” of the title (a puppy!). It’s a tale that draws on biographical details from her own life and is revered by her dog-lover fans.
It would not be out of character for her to add “Hero,” or “The Distance” from her latest studio album, Caution, to the Christmas sets, but both songs are likely to be part of the show when Carey’s The Butterfly Returns residency resumes at the Colosseum on Feb. 14. While Carey holds Valentine’s Day close to her heart, the most wonderful time of year for her is still Christmas time. All she wants for her fans is to feel that way, too.
Caesars Palace, 8 p.m. Nov. 27 & 29-30, starting at $55 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
