Checking out Mariah Carey at the Oakland Arena was like listening to the soundtrack of my life from way back when in high school. Actually “Hero” was my junior prom theme.In her hour and a half show, she sang her classics like  “I’ll Be There,” “Always Be My Baby,” and “Hero,” in addition to her more recent hits like “We Belong Together” and “Shake It Off.” Though in the beginning with “Heartbreaker”  and “Dream Lover” her voice was raspy.

Her DJ came to the rescue by playing old school hits from Tupac to Salt-N-Pepa giving her a chance for ample breaks, and the time to change outfits. Her clothes ranged from the loungewear-like bespeckled black bikinis with a transparent black hoodie to the J-Lo inspired seafoam green gown with kimono sleeves and the stomach section cut out. She also didn’t waste energy on dancing, choosing instead to pose from side to side. It would have been hard anyways, with the stilettos and tight clothes.

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There are two ways of looking at Mariah Carey’s biggest tour in years, the one that didn’t quite pack ‘em in at San Diego’s ipayOne Center at the Sports Arena Wednesday night but which is guaranteed sellouts at Staples Center and the newly christened Honda Center (formerly the Pond) this weekend.

Which view you prefer, however, depends on how charitable you wish to be toward the street diva and her predictable “Adventures of Mimi” outing.

Those who insist it’s high time Mariah got her due – those thrilled that her wildly overvalued album “The Emancipation of Mimi” was both last year’s sales champ and an inexplicable Grammy darling – surely have already determined these shows are the culmination of her comeback: a well-earned victory lap for a show-biz survivor.

That it is in more ways than one, and only a jealous hater would deny that she isn’t deserving of this celebration. Five years ago, when Mariah’s sudden and erratic descent into tabloid purgatory began, it seemed unthinkable that she’d ever crawl back to a stature half as significant as she has now.

Her record-contract woes, the catastrophe of “Glitter,” her frequent canceled shows, hospital stays and too-public temper tantrums – plus what very recently appeared to be the premature deterioration of her unearthly five-octave vocal range – all seemed to spell the end of her days as an omnipresent powerhouse. Everyone loves a comeback, but the reality is that they’re increasingly rare. Just look at Whitney Houston, the still-suffering giant Mariah was once modeled after.

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Yep. She’s still got it! MC, that is, as her fans call her. The rest of the world knows her as Mariah Carey.Carey performed on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at Arco Arena for her “Adventures of Mimi” tour and her fans loved every bit of it. She sang a mixture of songs, old and new. She performed her classics including, “Hero,” “Butterfly,” “Vision of Love,” “One Sweet Day,” as well as a compilation of tracks from her new album, “The Emancipation of Mimi.”

Mimi, as she refers to herself, started the show in a skimpy black two-piece outfit and a cape. Even though she is 36 years old , she still looks beautiful and sexy.

Her voice started out raspy in the beginning, but ten minutes into the show, she was sounding like her commanding diva self, belting out lyrics and hitting the high notes.

Mimi kept what looked like a sold out crowd on their feet the entire night, with flashy stage of lights and videos, along with her background dancers and her powerful and mighty voice.

A gigantic “Mimi” light sign centered the stage, as well as background videos that filled in for hip hop artists such as Jay-Z and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, for her wildly popular duets.

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Hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri has reportedly been forced out of his job at Virgin Records after disappointing sales of his girlfriend Janet Jackson’s comeback album.

Dupri, who was head of urban music at the record company, was partially credited with relaunching Mariah Carey’s career with monster hit The Emacipation of Mimi, but his work on Jackson’s 20 YO has only shifted 500,000 copies three weeks into its release.

According to Fox News’ Roger Friedman, the CD also dropped an astonishing 77 percent in sales in its second week, prompting Dupri to quit the company under pressure from management late last week.

It was my first trip to Milan. I think it was in 1999 or 2000. I went to a shopping center next to the Duomo cathedral. There was a huge crowd and lots of press people. They were all crowded around a record store Ricordi Media. I didn’t know what was going on, so I pushed my way up to the barrier and saw Mariah posters covering all the windows of the store. One said “Welcom Mariah.” Just then, the guards opened up the barrier in front of me and let a bunch of us into the store. I assumed that they would be bringing Mariah out for autographs, so I bought her new CD Rainbow and stood in line. They brought her out to a table that had some microphones. She started signing autographs. In between autographs she did a radio interview. When it was my turn to get an autograph, I walked up and smiled. I told her that I came all the way from Hawaii, where I grew up, and said that I loved the concert she did there. She asked what I was doing all the way over here. I said that I work for an airline and was on my first layover in Milan. We chatted for about 30 seconds, but I felt like I was going to get in trouble, since more people were waiting. I asked her if I could get a quick picture with her. She said that she’d love to, but these two guys (referring to the two huge bodyguards, one on each side of the table) won’t like it. I thanked her, and she said it was great to meet me.

Most people either left the store or stood way in the back to look at her after they got autographs. I decided to stand in line again to see if she would sign a CD for my sister. There were about 10 of us left in line when they took her away behind the curtain. A lady came out speaking Italian. I asked if she could speak English. She told me that those of us left in line, since we didn’t get autographs, would be put on the list for the private party that night. She asked me for an ID, put my name on the list, and gave me a card with a picure of Mariah on it that said I was invited to her private party. I caught a cab that night to Cafe L’Atlantique (I hear it’s owned by Dolce & Gabana) and, sure enough, I was on the list. The club was full of energy. There were a lot of beautiful people, dressed in all kinds of fashions. They played Mariah videos all night on the multi-screen wall. At one point, Mariah was freestyling with another singer. It was a very memorable night. I got to party with Mariah in Milan!

There are divas, and there are divas. And then there’s Mariah Carey, a pop superstar who makes most other divas seem like shy, retiring wallflowers - with or without her ability to sing notes so high only certain breeds of dogs can appreciate (or hear) them.

Now embarked on her “The Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, The Hits, The Tour,” comeback tour, Carey performed recently in San Diego.

“It’s not easy to live in the limelight,” she told her audience. “But it’s the music and the fans that matter.”

Carey delivered this line with a straight face for someone who has always coveted the limelight with an unrelenting level of determination that says: “Don’t even think about getting in my way, or you’re toast.”

Earlier this year, she won three Grammy Awards, her first since 1990, but was snubbed in every major category in which she was nominated. Last month, her record company issued a news release that her ongoing tour is playing “to packed houses every night.”

The release neglects to mention that dates in four cities were canceled because of low ticket sales. That’s surprising, because Carey’s “The Adventures of Mimi” was the top-selling album of 2005. Then again, she only tours sporadically and hasn’t developed a loyal audience for her glitz-fest shows.

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