Mariah Carey Taps 'Idol's' Randy Jackson to Retool 'Adventures of Mimi' Tour
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mariah Carey is tapping a longtime friend -- "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson -- to help her mix things up a bit on her "Adventures of Mimi" tour, which kicks off in August.
"With this tour, I'm going to be working on some different arrangements for some of the older songs, to kind of like, give it a little more life to them," Carey recently told The Associated Press. "That's not to say they're going to sound totally different and to freak anybody out ... (but) I love re-singing songs to different music."
Carey and Jackson have been meeting to discuss how she'll spice up some of her old hits, and Jackson might even join her on a few dates.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Randy Jackson is my musical director, and he has been for many years, even before 'American Idol,"' she noted.
Carey, who hasn't toured since 2003, is still riding high off the success of last year's "The Emancipation of Mimi" album, which gave her a huge comeback, with hits like "We Belong Together" and three Grammy awards.
She said cajoling from fans helped convince her to get back on the road.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I genuinely want to tour with these new songs, as well as older hits," she told The AP. "These new songs mean so much to me, this time of my life has been so wonderful for me, and I want to experience that with my fans."
"The Adventures of Mimi" tour, which begins Aug. 5 in Miami and ends Oct. 10 in Phoenix, will make stops in 30 cities across the U.S.