Since her debut in 1990 , Carey had not journeyed on a large or extensive tour . In fact , she had not embarked on a tour until her third studio effort , Music Box ( 1993 ) , when she performed six arena shows in the United States during the Music Box Tour . The opening night of the tour received scathing reviews , mostly aimed at Carey 's deemed " obvious " stage @-@ fright and failure to make a connection with the crowd . Succeeding nights were more favorably reviewed , with critics raving about Carey 's vocals . Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote regarding Carey 's live vocals , " Beyond any doubt , Ms. Carey 's voice is no studio concoction . Her range extends from a rich , husky alto to dog @-@ whistle high notes ; she can linger over sensual turns , growl with playful confidence , syncopate like a scat singer . " However , after the strong media attention , Carey did not visit the US on her succeeding Daydream World Tour in 1996 , visiting only Europe and Asia . The tour in contrast , received critical acclaim from critics and fans alike , as well as breaking ticket sale records . Carey 's three shows at Japan 's largest stadium , Tokyo Dome , sold out in under three hours , equaling in over 150 @,@ 000 tickets , setting the record of fastest show sellouts in Japan 's history . On the Butterfly World Tour , Carey broke the record , selling 200 @,@ 000 tickets in under one hour . During 1997 , after the commercially and critically successful release of Butterfly , Carey had not planned to tour once again , due to the long travel times and strain on her voice . However , due to overwhelming demand by fans , Carey agreed to perform in Asia once again , only extending the tour to Taiwan and Australia , as well as one last show in the United States . Rehearsals for the show began shortly after Christmas 1997 , extending for a period of two weeks .