Mariah Carey kicked off her latest world tour in support of her fourteenth album, "Me. I Am Mariah ... The Elusive Chanteuse," in front of a sold-out audience at Chiba, Japan's Makuhari Mess Saturday night, Oct. 4, and several clips posted on social media show that the songstress struggled at times during her performance.
In a video taken during the concert, the 44-year-old singer had difficulty hitting the high notes that characterize the studio recording of her debut single "Vision of Love," which was released in 1990.
In another clip, the "Hero" hitmaker also appeared to struggle when a butterfly décor detached from her microphone while singing her 2005 hit song "We Belong Together." She initially tried to continue with the song, though he eventually stopped saying, "Wait a minute. I can't go on."
Some of Carey's fans took to social media to express their disappointment.
"It's a wrap for Mariah Carey's singing career. You're a legend. Time to retire. She can't sing anymore. At all. What happened?" wrote a fan on Twitter, according to Daily Mail.
"Y'all. Mariah Carey really can't sing anymore," another user tweeted. "That was hard to listen to. I see why Mariah Carey never sings live anymore. That's why."
"Mariah Carey should've bowed out right when her voice was giving out," the commenter added. "Save herself the embarrassment."
But there were also some loyal Mariah Carey fans who defended their idol. "She's just been out a long time; her voice is worn out. That song ["Vision of Love"] is 25 years old almost. we love Mariah," said one fan, according to Time.
Carey also won largely positive reviews from the Japanese media, with Chunichi Shimbun saying her famed five-octave range is still intact, Huffington Post reported.
And when The Mirror asked Carey's camp for a statement regarding the news, a rep told the British publication: "The comments we have heard from the fans have been great!"
There are still 19 more dates scheduled over the next six weeks on the Asian and Australian leg of Carey's "Elusive Chanteuse" world tour, according to Huffington Post.