In honour of #MC30 and my forever gratitude for @MariahCarey and all she and her music has meant to me, I'm going to do a lil thread of 30 of MY fav MC live performances. Not yours, MINE! Thank you, Mimi! Love you much.

Kicking things off with Godmother and Goddaughter keeping it real! The look of sheer joy on Mariah's face when she kills the whistle in tandem with Patti's belt. Whew, what a moment. It's a very special occasion.

A special one because it's the first time I was able to bond with @ElliottJMR about MC on one of our first dates. He was playing Stevie's version and I was like, "but, have you heard Mariah's live version?!" It's our song to this day.

Everything about MC's vocal in this performance is an eargasm. That ethereal sound that comes out of her mouth at 2:20 makes me want to throw things every time. Just gorgeous. The first of many between MC & Mr. Legend.

Love love LOVE it when Mariah improvises. I'm also HIGH key jealous that someone I went to college with was in that audience! Can you imagine getting to experience all THAT?!

Mariah has given us lambs so much in 2020 and this was definitely a highlight. Harmonizing the background vocals of "Everything Fades Away" with @iamjojo? Are you kidding me?! The artistry, the talent, the laughs #Priceless

The Lambily knows how iconic that 1996 Tokyo Dome set was, and I'm so thankful we're going to get the entire show on #TheRarities. For me, "Anytime You Need A Friend" is one of the greatest songs Mariah's ever written. That "SPIRIT" at 1:50 - WOW WOW WOW.

"Like from out of a dream, and in this dream there was a major diva in the wings, waiting for ME! Oh YES, she will appear, out of somewhere"

"Thank you, Luther"

Mariah and Luther ate that stage up with such ease.

"I Stay In Love" is one of my fav Mariah songs, a stone groove smash hit wonder RnB jam. This performance from the AMA's is so confident and matter-of-fact. Plus, Mariah checking her hair on the giant monitor then fixing it mid-performance is EVERYTHING.

2001 was rough. Dunno what it was like for lambs elsewhere, but the only news I could get about MC in Jamaica was from tabloids & it was very worrying. I remember watching this after 9/11, hoping against hope to see her. This was such a comfort. I BAWLED.

Can you imagine MC & Aretha in her trailer having a kiki?! This concert opened up Aretha's vast catalog to me as a 13-yr-old. Aretha would go on to perform Mariah's "Touch My Body" in her concerts. All hail the QUEEN OF SOUL, one third of my vocal trinity.

That's it for Part One of this thread. I'll be back to complete my #MC30 tribute. In the meantime, I'll continue to eat up all the nuggets from the vault @MariahCarey keeps feeding us! Thank you, Queen!

Part two, y'all! #MC30

I can only imagine how satisfying the response from The Apollo crowd must have been for a VARIETY of reasons. You can see that big smile at 3:04 when Mariah realizes she's GOT them.

This might be the Mariah live performance that I've watched the most. It's a tribute to Patti (j'adore) and has her singing one of my favs (If Only You Knew). That note at the end? Just RIDICULOUS.

ALSO, this video featured HEAVILY on my Myspace page.

There are so so many performances of AIWFCIY that it's near impossible to pick a fav, but I keep coming back to this one cause it's so cute and Mariah looks/sounds sublime. Shoutout also to the performance on Fallon with the kiddie instruments.

One thing folks may not know about @MariahCarey is that she has so so many original gospel songs in her catalog. "My Saving Grace" doesn't get nearly enough love.

LOVE Oprah singing along to the wrong words!

Speaking of MC on Oprah, does it get any more iconic than Whitney & Mariah performing together for the first time?! They complemented each other so well. I've watched the whole episode countless times. This was one of the TV events of the 90s. So joyful.

One of the most beautiful songs she's ever written. "Butterfly" didn't get the backing it deserved from Sony. Such a shame. I remember making my grandmother listen to it at my other grandma's house on my walkman at 13. Flutter through the sky, butterfly.

I associate "My All" with two things: the early, dark room days of TRL, and this "Divas Live" performance. The sultriest song she's ever recorded? I am HERE for any Mariah performance when she's feeling herself and stomping across that stage.

Would you forgive me if I didn't put this song on the list? Even though Mariah only has a brief solo bit, it happens to be my fav line of the song: "I'm no longer doubtful of what I'm living for & if I make you happy, I don't need to do more"

Such a treat for the Lambily when Mariah performed this for the first (and only?) time. "Looking In" is one of her most personal songs and it clearly took a LOT to get through it. When she sings, "well here I am..." So damn grateful to have this video.

I remember watching this when it first aired and was so damn excited to get the WBT remix. Not only did she have the song of the decade, she then turned it into one of her best ever remixes. Also, #JusticeForShakeItOff which was blocked from #1 by WBT.

Part three will have my final ten choices choices choices! Not only do we have #TheMeaningofMariahCarey and #TheRarities coming shortly, but we get @MariahCarey kicking off the #USOpen final today with "Save The Day!" The next few weeks are going to be incredible.
#MC30

Back for part three with the performance that introduced @MariahCarey to a live audience:

"The Palace now has a QUEEN"

Can you imagine buying tix to the NBA Finals and getting to be part of this kind of history as well?

Mariah's had a fraught relationship with Patricia, but I am so (selfishly) thankful we have this duet with the both of them. When Mariah comes in with the whistle at the top of Patricia's Hallelujah?!?! Goosebumps! The arrangement and musicality this has!

The third entry from the Mariah Xmas catalog: "One Child" performed in front of the Obamas in Washington. MC singing about "one child" while she's carrying two, and sounding like heaven. Her talent for writing Xmas originals is unmatched. A classic.

So hard to pick just one "If It's Over" performance bc honestly, Mariah slayed so many. But the slayage at the '92 Grammys, in front of her peers, is just TEW MUCH! Honestly, with the disrespect the Academy's shown her over the years, they did NOT deserve

MC performing "The Distance" live with such confidence in support of the "Caution" release was EVERYTHING. The song was a certified BOP and neither this song nor the album got the full credit it deserved. Also, the harmonizing with Ty Dolla $ign?! Gorgeous

Don't sleep on "Glitter" y'all. One of my absolute favs is Mariah's cover of "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life." This performance is so damn sexy, vocally and otherwise. Renee Zellweger at the end is ME!

Sticking with the "Glitter" era, this performance of "Reflections (Care Enough)" is so haunting. There's such a unique tone to Mariah's voice at this specific time that's incredible.

So many haters reached out to me after Mariah's 2016 NYE performance to act a mess (my mother included lol). That made this follow-up in 2017 so damn badass. And that intentional break to let y'all KNOW she's singing LIVE in freezing weather was IT.

When #TheRarities comes out & we get the full Tokyo Dome concert to stream, y'all will get a full idea of why this concert is so revered by the Lambily. Her best performance of Hero? The way she climbs to the mountain top of "the way" at 3:33 - WHEW.

Number 30! This was a (re)coronation. Even though the Academy didn't see fit to award accordingly that night, Mariah showed up & showed OUT! Fly Like A Bird is one of her all-time BEST songs. When Mariah's stomping & spinning you know she's feeling herself

Now for the deluxe edition: two bonus tracks that I can't NOT include in this celebration of #MC30

"Vanishing (Rehearsal)" - of particular note, apart from the obscene vocals, is Mariah telling the backup singers that "somebody's doing the wrong note" LOL

We love a concept moment in these live performance streets. MC's red dress against the backdrop of a black & white, old Hollywood visual is simply stunning. That "comeback" was one of the greatest moments of my life as a stan, and this was a big highlight

Thank you for coming to my @MariahCarey live performance Ted Talk. I cannot wait for #TMOMC and #TheRarities next week. What a moment! Endless thanks for being the soundtrack to my life. I love you. I SEE you. I appreciate you. Collect your flowers. You deserve it all #MC30