Mariah Carey Reportedly Having Trouble Selling Concert Tickets In Vegas

Mariah Carey is returning to Las Vegas with a residency that begins on July 5 and runs for three months. The show is titled The Butterfly Returns. Mariah will perform in the 4,300-seat Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace. Page Six is reporting that ticket sales are far from what was hoped for. They cite one insider as calling it a “disaster” with scalpers who bought up lots of tickets fearing they will be left holding most of them.

The insider blames Carey’s lackluster ticket sales on bad decisions that were made after the firing of manager Stella Bulochnikov in November. Daily Mail reports that during Bulochnikov’s tenure with Carey, the two were inseparable. She was the mastermind behind the singer’s reality show, but was more than a manager. She was involved in every area of the performer’s life, even helping her through her split with fiancée James Packer. One source described their relationship like this.

“She’s practically moved in with Mariah, and now she has so much stuff on her that she can get her to do anything. She’s pulling the strings, and Mariah does whatever she says.”

Stella had planned to book Carey’s return to Las Vegas in a smaller venue so they could announce sold-out shows. Booking the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace was a gamble that Bulochnikov would not have taken, and it looks like she may have been right.

Sales for Mariah Carey’s Vegas shows are ‘a disaster’ https://t.co/qMMnWhngZT pic.twitter.com/Ap6qtSESSS

— Page Six (@PageSix) June 4, 2018

Mariah Carey’s publicist denied that ticket sales are low and suggested that anyone who is saying otherwise must desperately want to be seen as someone in the know. They also denied rumors that Mariah sold the engagement ring she received from former-fiancée Packer for $2.1 million because she is having money problems.

Carey is also dealing with a lawsuit filed by her former manager who alleges that she was fired in the middle of a three-year contract. One source indicates that the amount the singer owes to her former manager is in the millions of dollars. It’s believed that Stella’s termination was the result of Mariah signing with Jay Z’s Roc Nation in November, the same month that Bulochnikov was fired. With that contract, the singer got management, a talent agency, and production services for concerts, TV, movies, and tours.

“She is getting legitimate people, assistants, a lawyer, and Stella is not happy about it,” one source said.

Carey admitted in April that she has been diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, which may explain the nervous breakdown she suffered in 2001. Her mental illness, the firing of Stella Bulochnikov, and the subsequent lawsuit, and reports of poor ticket sales have some of those surrounding her worried about her welfare. Mariah’s July 5 show will be her first since December.