Mariah Carey struggles with technical problems at Christmas show

Mariah Carey struggled to hit the right notes during her Christmas show in New York City on Monday night (15Dec14) as the event was plagued by technical problems.

The superstar singer kicked off a run of five festive gigs at the Beacon Theatre, but the opening night was marred by issues with her earpiece and mic pack which left her floundering as she tried to keep in time with the music.

The New York Daily News reports the problems were "throwing her off pitch and breaking up her phrasing" but she bounced back once the technical issue was resolved after the first three songs.

At a later point in the show, she gave an emotional performance of her hit track Hero and appeared to fight back tears as she brought the Christmas-themed concert to an end.

Afterwards, Carey posted a video of the gig on Instagram.com with the message, "Opening night at the Beacon Theater (sic). Thank you everyone & Merry Christmas!!!"