Mariah Carey Redeems Herself on New Year’s Eve in Times Square<br />But we’re going to try and do this one for you.”<br />Even without the tea, Ms. Carey’s performance gathered strength throughout the set without any obvious glitches — a marked improvement from last year.<br />Mariah Carey, wearing a white fur coat, long earrings and a gold-colored glittery dress, took the stage in Times Square to close out 2017, one year after a debacle of a performance<br />that could be a contender for the Mount Rushmore of live-television moments, right alongside Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction.<br />“Oh, I’m feeling a lot better than last year, when I had to get my own police escort<br />to walk away,” Ms. Carey said, after Mr. Seacrest asked how she was feeling.<br />Ms. Carey started her set with the glitz one might expect of a pop star — again wearing a fur coat and surrounded by men holding feathers.<br />This time, Ms. Carey’s performance did not feature the backup dancers of last year.<br />The awkwardness increased exponentially from there, as Ms. Carey stood onstage without singing, throwing slight asides to the audience like, “We didn’t have a sound check<br />but it’s New Year’s, baby, that’s O. K., you guys,” and “I’m trying to be a good sport here.” She repeatedly complained of not being able to hear the monitor.<br />“Happy New Year!” Ms. Carey said, addressing the crowd.<br />In a made-for-television act of pop culture redemption, Ms. Carey’s performance made it to the finish line, except for the desire for hot tea.<br />“And that is why she is Mariah Carey,” Mr. Seacrest said.<br />Last year’s performance, a three-song set, was an abject, Murphy’s Law-level disaster.
