One of the most respected names in R&B, Mariah Carey finally made her way back to Seoul for the diva’s first concert in Korea in 11 years.

But rather than leaving her local fans shouting for more, many in the audience seemed to have one overwhelming feeling ― the show was not worth the money.

The self-proclaimed “elusive chanteuse” serenaded thousands of local fans with an outdoor concert at the 88 Field at Seoul Olympic Park on Wednesday night.

The singer opened the show to much anticipation with her hit single “Fantasy,” followed by “Touch My Body” and “Emotions.”

Nevertheless, with a number of vocal complaints from some the audience members that the speakers were too quiet, people seemed to be more interested in the lunar eclipse than they were in some of Carey’s performance. At times the overall ambience felt more suited to a quaint cafe than a large-scale outdoor concert.

However, just when it seemed the show couldn’t go downhill any further, the R&B veteran screwed up the lyrics near the end of the show. She faltered not once, but twice, during one of her most anticipated performances of the night ― “We Belong Together,” a single that was named Song of the Decade by Billboard.

Looking out at the sea of faces in the crowd, one couldn’t help but notice the lack of even the slightest of head bobbing; rather everyone seemed quite stoic, with even a handful of the audience members getting up and leaving only halfway into the show. 

In an ironic twist, the concert saw its first glimpse of energy and excitement while Carey was off the stage during the intermission. The leading piano man was shredding the keys and introducing the rest of the bandmates, and this was enough to rile the crowd and sparking a number of people to shout and clap along.

As soon as the singer returned to the stage with “Honey,” the audience returned to its quiet, less-than-impressed state. The 45-year-old diva seemed to be desperately trying to prove she could still reach the same impossible octaves she reached in her prime, but with the low volume and a number of lackluster attempts, the overall impression was of a diva that has lost her touch.

Carey recently stirred up some controversy in her Tokyo, Japan, concert on Saturday and it was reported that she called out her husband while singing her rendition of Billie Holiday classic, “Don’t Explain.”

It appeared that the music icon was finally ready to reveal the reason behind her split with celebrity husband Nick Cannon. During her concert in Tokyo over the weekend, Carey switched up the lyrics to the Holiday song and added her own personal remix by inserting the line, “I know you cheated mother ― r” in place of the original line, “I know you cheat.” The two reportedly split in August after being married for six years.

Carey, however, spared such blushes during her performance in Seoul, opting to keep the original lyrics of “Don’t Explain.”

In the second half of the show, she went on to perform a number of tracks from her latest album, “Me. I am Mariah ... the Elusive Chanteuse,” including “Thirsty.” Carey also took a step back and sang her more iconic hit ’90s single “Always Be My Baby” before eventually going on to butcher “We Belong Together.”

And despite being October, the singer concluded the show with her encore performance of “All I Want for Christmas.”

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)