Not on Ice Yet: Mariah Carey to Begin Residency at Dolby Live in Las Vegas

^{Mariah Carey, seen here at the Lovers and Friends Festival in 2023, is returning to Las Vegas where she will get the stage all to herself. (Image: Daniel DeSlover / Sipa US)}

Every year, usually after Halloween, the joke is that singer Mariah Carey is “thawed out” so that she can take over Christmastime with her ubiquitous holiday tune “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The joke continues that, after Christmas concludes for the year, Carey goes back into the “deep freeze” to preserve her for the next Yuletide season. Alas, 2025 will be a bit different for Carey as she kicks off an eight-date residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas beginning on Jan. 31. 

'The Celebration of Mimi' 20 Years in the Making

This year, Carey is celebrating the release of her classic album The Emancipation of Mimi, which was released in March 2005. As a part of the celebration, there are eight dates currently scheduled for her concert stay at Dolby Live that is entitled “The Celebration of Mimi” (Mimi is a nickname given Carey and used only by family and close friends), which was recently named the #2 concert venue of its size (5,000-10,000 seats) by Billboard Magazine. 

Should this eight-date “mini-residency” prove to be successful, it is thought that Carey will be open to an extension, meaning it could be some time before the Christmas Queen goes back on ice. 

Dolby Live at Park MGM is also the prime venue for such an operation. Because of its size (5200 seats), it is large enough to accommodate a good audience but still small enough to give the intimacy that performers enjoy. No seat inside Dolby Live is more than 150 feet from the performers, giving the audience the visual and aural stimulation they seek. Tickets for “The Celebration of Mimi” start at $50 and, for floor seats, can range up to $250 through StubHub. 

If you are a part of the Lambily (the name that fans and Carey have given themselves), you currently have eight chances to catch Carey in full throat, beginning on Jan. 31. Here are the remaining dates for “The Celebration of Mimi” in Las Vegas:

February 1 (Saturday)
February 5 (Wednesday)
February 7 (Friday)
February 8 (Saturday)
February 12 (Wednesday)
February 14 (Friday)
February 15 (Saturday)

A Legendary Career in Pop 

Ever since she entered the music industry, Carey has been a superstar beyond compare. With a five-octave vocal range, Carey broke into the music scene in 1990 with her eponymous debut album that shattered records. 

From that very album, Carey scored five #1 Billboard Hot 100 songs, becoming the first artist to achieve this feat. She was named the most successful artist of the Nineties by Billboard after the release of successive albums Music Box (1993), Daydream (1995), and Butterfly (1997). 

Carey would make a slight misstep by trying to go into acting as the new century began. The movie Glitter and the subsequent album release were panned by fans and critics, making Carey’s next move extremely critical to her career. 

She would respond with an album that has become one of the best-selling albums of the 21^st century, the very record celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year – The Emancipation of Mimi, which is a certified Diamond Award winner (ten million in sales) by the Recording Industry Association of America. 

Carey has received many accolades in her career, including five Grammys, ten American Music Awards, 19 World Music Awards, and 20 Billboard Music Awards. She has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, and has a place in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for her Christmas classic. The only honors that Carey has not received is induction into either the Grammy Hall of Fame or the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.