Merry Christmas One and All! was the thirteenth

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...

by American singer

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

. Spanning 16 dates in the United States and in Canada, it began on November 15, 2023, in

Highland, California Highland (inc. East Highlands) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States located 65 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles and roughly 50 miles west of Palm Springs, California. The city's population, inclusive to its neighbor ...

, and concluded on December 17, 2023, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It followed Merry Christmas to All!, a December 2022 concert series that consisted of four arena shows and marked Carey's return to touring following the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Background

Beginning in 2014, American singer

performed at an annual holiday

concert residency A concert residency (also known as musical residency or simply residency) is a series of concerts, similar to a concert tour, but performed at only one location. The ''Pollstar'' Awards defined a residency as a run of 10 or more shows at a sing ...

, All I Want for Christmas Is You: A Night of Joy and Festivity, at the Beacon Theatre in

. The event later expanded into a

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

and ended in 2019, when Carey's song "

All I Want for Christmas Is You "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fourth studio album and first holiday album, ''Merry Christmas'' (1994). She wrote and produced the song with Walter Afanasieff. It was released a ...

" reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the first time since its 1994 release.

Merry Christmas to All! (2022)

On October 24, 2022, Carey announced that she would resume touring following a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic and unveiled two shows at the

Scotiabank Arena Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

Toronto, Canada Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

in New York City. The tickets to Carey's show in New York sold out after one hour, following which the singer announced that she would perform additional shows at each venue in Toronto and New York. To promote the shows, Carey made an appearance on

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

, where she teased the possibility of her concerts being televised. It was later announced that the singer would host a two-hour primetime special set to air on CBS and

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

based on her shows in New York. The concert was broadcast as a special that aired on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

television network (and

streaming service) and became the most watched program of its night, drawing in a total of 3.8 million viewers and a 0.4 demo rating. The show's set list focused predominantly on Carey's catalogue of

Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of Music genre, genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas and holiday season, Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of Christmas ...

, taken from her albums ''

Merry Christmas The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...

'' and ''

Merry Christmas II You ''Merry Christmas II You'' is the thirteenth studio album and second Christmas album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Island Records on November 2, 2010. Recording began in April 2010 and continued while Carey beca ...

'', but also included performances of her other hits. The singer introduced the show with a rendition of

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

, with Carey using her signature

whistle register The whistle register (also called the flute register or flageolet register) is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register. This register has a specific physiological production that is differe ...

, followed by a performance of Hark the Herald Angels Sing. The singer also performed the song, "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)", for the first time in public since the release of her 1994 album, ''

'', as well as a duet of

Away in a Manger "Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in the late nineteenth century and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain, it is one of the most popular carols; a 1996 Gallup Poll ranked it joint second. Although i ...

with her daughter, Monroe Cannon. Carey's shows in New York featured appearances by

The Rockettes The Radio City Rockettes are an American precision dance company. Founded in 1925 in St. Louis, they have, since 1932, performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Until 2015, they also had a touring company. They are best known for sta ...

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

and

Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence as part of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. His songs " The Show" and ...

. A

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

choir appeared on several occasions, and dancers were present on stage throughout the show. Carey made a total of four costume changes, which included a snow angel-inspired gown, a red mermaid gown, a white mini-dress, and a red-and-black nutcracker-inspired outfit during an encore performance of

Merry Christmas One and All! (2023)

On October 2, 2023, Carey announced a new tour, entitled Merry Christmas One and All!, via her social media. She is set to play 16 dates across the United States and Canada, the most expansive seasonal run of her holiday concerts thus far. Ticket presales began on October 5, following one day of early access for

American Express American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...

card holders. A general public sale commenced on October 6. Ten days later, Carey announced a second show in Los Angeles due to high demand. On October 30, a second concert in New York and a new date in Cleveland were added. Carey promoted the tour during a November 2 appearance on the American late-night talk show ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

''. On November 6, she participated in interviews on ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'' and ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

''. Carey also spoke with local media outlets, including

KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship station of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is ...

in Los Angeles.

Critical reception

The tour received a positive reception from critics. Leena Tailor of ''

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

'' said it "make you feel like you’ve stepped right into a holiday snow globe". Writing for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Steven J. Horowitz called it a "highly polished show". In the ''

Atlanta Black Star The ''Atlanta Black Star'' is the largest black-owned digital publication in the United States. The publication is based in Atlanta, Georgia which focuses on the African American perspective on politics. It was founded in 2012 by Neil "Jelani" ...

'', Kiara Washington thought "Carey looked beautiful and sounded angelic as always". Aaron Williams of ''

Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...

'' wrote: "If the past few years have given you the mistaken impression that the veteran singer is 'just' a novelty act, her collection of both holiday mainstays and hits will certainly prove you wrong."

Setlist

Merry Christmas to All! (2022)

''" The Nutcracker March" '' ;Act I ''"

Sugar Plum Fairy ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. The plot is an ...

"'' #

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is an English Christmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection ''Hymns and Sacred Poems''. The carol, based on , tells of an angelic chorus singing praises to God. As it is known in the modern era, it ...

/ Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)" # "

Joy to the World "Joy to the World" is an English hymn and Christmas carol. It was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnist Isaac Watts. It is usually sung to the American composer Lowell Mason's 1848 arrangement of a tune attributed to George Fride ...

" # "

Sleigh Ride "Sleigh Ride" is a Light music, light orchestra Standard (music), standard composed by Leroy Anderson. He formed the idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and finished it in February 1948. Its first performance was by the Boston Po ...

" # "

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is a pop song originally sung by Darlene Love and included on the 1963 compilation album ''A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records'' (later renamed ''A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector''). The son ...

" # "

Silent Night "Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO The United Nations Educati ...

" # "

" ''"Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child" '' ;Act II #

Christmas Time Is in the Air Again "Christmas Time Is in the Air Again" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her second Christmas album and thirteenth studio album, ''Merry Christmas II You'' (2010). It was written and produced by Carey in collaboration with ...

" # "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)" # " When Christmas Comes" # "

O Holy Night "O Holy Night" (original title: ) is a sacred song about the night of the birth of Jesus Christ, described in the first verse as "the dear Saviour", and frequently performed as a Christmas carol. Based on the French-language poem ''Minuit, ch ...

" ''"

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", also known as "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen", is an English traditional Christmas carol. It is in the Roxburghe Collection (iii. 452), and is listed as no. 394 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It is also known as "T ...

" ''
''"

Carol of the Bells "Carol of the Bells" is a popular Christmas carol, which is based on the Ukrainian New Year's song " Shchedryk". The music for the carol comes from the song written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in or before 1916; the English-la ...

" '' ;Act III ''"

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas music, Christmas song written by John Frederick Coots, J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first recorded by Harry Reser and His Orchestra. When it was covered by Eddie Cantor on his radio show ...

" intro'' #

Oh Santa! "Oh Santa!" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her second Christmas album and thirteenth studio album, ''Merry Christmas II You'' (2010). Carey wrote and produced the song in collaboration with Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Mic ...

" # " Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / House Top Celebration" # Medley: ## "

Big Energy "Big Energy" is a song by American rapper Latto. It was released through Streamcut and RCA Records on September 24, 2021, as the lead single from Latto's second studio album, '' 777'' (2022). It was written by Latto, A1 LaFlare, Jaucquez Lowe, R ...

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

" ## "

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

/ Heartbreaker" ## "

My All "My All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, ''Butterfly'' (1997). It was released as the album's fifth single overall and second commercial single on April 21, 1998, by Columbia Records. The song w ...

" ## " It's Like That" ## "

Emotions Emotions are physical and mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavior, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is ...

" ## " Make It Happen" ## "

Fly Like a Bird "Fly Like a Bird" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on March 13, 2006, by Island Records as the fifth single from her tenth studio album, ''The Emancipation of Mimi'' (2005). Written and produced by Carey and James ...

" # "

We Belong Together "We Belong Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her tenth studio album, '' The Emancipation of Mimi'' (2005). The song was released on March 15, 2005, through Island Records, as the second single from the album. ...

" # "

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

" ;Encore ''" Christmas Wrapping" '' #

Notes

* An instrumental interlude of "

Christmas Time Is Here "Christmas Time Is Here" is a popular Christmas standard written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 CBS television special ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'', one of the first animated Christmas specials produced for network television i ...

" was performed on the first Toronto show, between "Carol of the Bells" and "Oh Santa!" The same interlude was also performed after "Christmas Wrapping" on the second New York show. * On the first New York show: ** "Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child," usually performed by Trey Lorenz, was replaced by "Jesus Had a Mama Like Mine," performed by Billy Porter. ** An improvised piano snippet of "Jingle Bells" served as the ending to "When Christmas Comes." ** "Christmas Wrapping" was moved up earlier in the setlist, being performed between "Carol of the Bells" and "Oh Santa!" **

joined Carey onstage to perform "Oh Santa!." Additionally, an extended outro was performed for the song, where Carey thanked them for joining her in performing the song. **

, Moroccan Cannon and

joined Carey onstage to perform "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / Housetop Celebration." Additionally, Dupri joined Carey onstage to perform "It's Like That" later on in the show. *** This was also the case for the second New York show. ** The band introductions were performed over an impromptu instrumental version of " Fall in Love at Christmas." *** This was also the case for the second New York show. **

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, talk show host, and businesswoman. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she has received multiple List of awards and nominations received by Drew Barrymore, awards a ...

came onstage after "Hero" to introduce "All I Want for Christmas Is You." ** A ballet interlude to the sound of an instrumental medley of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) /

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", also known as simply "Let It Snow", is a song written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945 in Hollywood, California, during a heatwave as Cahn and Styne imagined cooler conditions. ...

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first recorded by Harry Reser and His Orchestra. When it was covered by Eddie Cantor on his radio show in November 1934 it became a hit; w ...

We Wish You a Merry Christmas "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is an English Christmas carol, listed as numbers 230 and 9681 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The famous version of the carol is from the English West Country. Popular version The Bristol-based composer, conductor ...

" was performed by The Rockettes before "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

Merry Christmas One and All! (2023)

The following setlist is obtained from the December 5, 2023, concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is not intended to represent all dates throughout the tour. ''"Overture" '' ;Fun Christmas ''"

"'' #

/ Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)" ''"

" intro'' #

" # "

" # " When Christmas Comes" # "

" # " Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / House Top Celebration" ''" Christmas Wrapping" ''
''" Fall in Love at Christmas" '' ;Inspirational Christmas #

" # "Jesus Born On This Day" # "

One Child One child may refer to: * '' One Child'', a 1980 American memoir * "One Child" (Mariah Carey song), a 2010 Christmas song * "One Child" (Savatage song), a 1996 heavy metal song * One-child policy The one-child policy ( zh, c=一孩政策, p=y ...

" # "

" ;MC Hit List ''"

" '' #

Medley: ## "

Always Be My Baby "Always Be My Baby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifth studio album, ''Daydream'' (1995). Written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, and produced by Carey and Dupri, It was released by Columbia Records o ...

" ## " Dreamlover" ## "

/ Heartbreaker" ## "

A No No "A No No" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifteenth studio album, ''Caution'' (2018). The song was written by Carey, Robert "Shea" Taylor, Priscilla Hamilton, Mason Betha and Camron Giles. Since the track sampl ...

" ## " It's a Wrap" ## "

" ## " Make It Happen" ## "

" # "

" ;Encore ''"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" '' #

Notes

joined Carey onstage to sing "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" / "Housetop Celebration" at the Los Angeles and New York shows on November 17 and December 9 respectively. * "All I Live For" was performed in Montreal. * "

The Roof (Back In Time) "The Roof (Back in Time)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her sixth studio album, ''Butterfly'' (1997). Columbia Records released it in Europe as the album's fourth single on March 16, 1998. The song was written ...

" and " Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)" were performed in Detroit. *

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...

and

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...

joined Carey onstage to sing the remix of "

" at the New York show on December 9. *

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

joined Carey onstage to perform "

I Know What You Want "I Know What You Want" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes and singer Mariah Carey, featuring verses from Rhymes' group Flipmode Squad: Spliff Star, Baby Sham, Rah Digga, and Rampage. Produced by Rick Rock, it was released on February 2 ...

" at the New York show on December 17. It was also the only show to feature that song.

Background

Merry Christmas to All! (2022)

Merry Christmas One and All! (2023)

Critical reception

Setlist

Merry Christmas to All! (2022)

Notes

Merry Christmas One and All! (2023)

Notes

Tour dates

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas One and All!

References