Mariah Carey has had so many hit records it's tough to predict which one will pull the most applause in a concert.
At the Oct. 10 performance shot for her second TV special, it was “One Sweet Day” and the surprise announcement that Boyz II Men was there to sing the song with her. The special, “Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden,” airs at 9 tonight on Fox.
Most of the show is comprised of concert footage. Past hits from her new album, “Daydream,” fill much of the mix. But the last song is her take on “Joy to the World” — filmed last Christmas at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine to benefit the Fresh Air Fund. Twice, a song had to be repeated and sometimes there were pauses for scenery changes. To entertain the audience, Carey said, she brought one of her four dogs on stage — Jack, a tiny Jack Russell terrier. She held up a small stuffed animal, said, ‘Get it, Jack,’ and he jumped. “They filmed it. I'm trying to fit it in there,” she says.
There also will be brief interviews and footage of the singer with children at Camp Mariah last summer. The camp got its name after Carey pledged $1 million to the Fresh Air Fund's camp at Fishkill, N.Y.
Carey says her televised concert couldn't be only new songs. “We have to do certain songs the fans really want to hear. When I'm watching an artist I like, and they don't do my favorite song, I'm disappointed,” she says.
Some hits were given new arrangements for TV, Carey says. Backup singer Melanie Daniels arranged for the choir from La Guardia Performing Arts High School to sing on “Hero.” Carey says, “A lot of kids tell me they're inspired by that song. It has been done at graduation ceremonies. I think the song is for anyone who feels like they need a little bit of strength and they need to look inside themselves and find it because they're not getting it from any outside sources.”
She feels no pressure because she is the best-selling female recording artist of the 1990s, she says. “It makes me feel great and happy that people are responding to what I'm doing. It really is a dream. I can only do the best I can do.”
Carey resents suggestions that her marriage to Sony Music Entertainment president Tommy Mottola has led to her success. She would prefer that her talent and her songs speak for themselves. “I've always been very focused and tried to stay as down-to-earth as I can and not let the person inside of me change just because my life has changed,” she said.