All we want for Christmas is tickets to Mariah Carey’s upcoming holiday tour.
The self-appointed Queen of Christmas unveiled dates on Monday for her Merry Christmas One and All! tour, which includes several stops in the United States and Canada. The seasonal concert series is scheduled to kick off Nov. 15 at the Yaamava’ Resort & Casino in Highland, near San Bernardino, followed by a Nov. 17 show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
“Yes, the actual defrosting has begun!” Carey wrote Monday on Instagram.
The announcement was an early surprise from the singer-songwriter, who typically waits until midnight on Nov. 1 to say goodbye to Halloween and ring in the holiday season by spreading yuletide cheer on social media to the tune of her Christmas classic, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
It’s only fitting that Carey would embark on a holiday tour during the time of year that “All I Want for Christmas” is poised to return to No. 1 on the music charts. The song’s enduring popularity has already spawned a number of related holiday ventures — from duets with Justin Bieber and Michael Bublé to a Christmas special on Apple TV+.
In a December 2020 interview with The Times, Carey reflected on her experience co-writing the tune with longtime collaborator Walter Afanasieff, recalling the moment the infectious melody just “kind of popped out” of her. The track debuted in 1994 and has maintained its status as a Christmastime staple ever since.
“We wanted it to feel classic,” Carey told The Times.
“I didn’t want it to feel ’90s. It probably feels ’90s now to people who are nostalgic about the ’90s. But in the ’90s, it was something different. … I wanted it to be timeless. And to feel festive. … We were having the best time in the studio. It sounds corny, but I think you can hear it on the record.”
After launching her Christmas tour in California, Carey is slated to travel to various cities — from Chicago to Boston — before ending her holiday concert series at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Dec. 17.
