Mariah Carey hosts family affair

FOR all the diva demands and high-profile fallouts, Mariah Carey can still hit the high notes when it comes to the real business of singing.

The 42-year-old star showed her unique vocal range as she delivered her first Australian concert in 15 years at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on Tuesday night.

After husband Nick Cannon warmed up the crowd with a DJ set, Carey made the occasion a family affair by bringing on her two young children, Moroccan and Monroe.

Visibly shy in the spotlight after spending their New Year's Eve on a luxury yacht, the pair left it to mum, one of the greatest female artists in history with 200 million album sales, to entertain the sellout audience.

Opening with the upbeat Can't Take That Away and Touch My Body, Carey moved through classics from her 22-year career, including fan favourite Hero and the rarely performed Close My Eyes from her Butterfly album.

While the voice has matured from her heyday, the Grammy winner turned American Idol judge was still able to reach her famous 'dolphin squeak' - the hard to master G#7 - during the song Obsessed.

She also gave a spine-tingling performance of the Michael Jackson classic I'll Be There alongside Trey Lorenz, who duetted on the 1992 hit cover.

Stopping for several costume changes throughout, Carey also showed off her diva side, complaining about! bad sound and bizarrely breaking into song between numbers to vent her frustration.

"There's like two hundred of you, can one of you just fix the ear thing," she called to her sound crew.

"I hope I'm not asking for the moon and the stars."

Mariah Carey's concert tour continues to Sydney and Melbourne with tickets still available to the Melbourne show.