BUT WHERE’S THE TOUR?: Mariah Carey may...

BUT WHERE’S THE TOUR?: Mariah Carey may be the first person in pop music history to release a live record without ever having performed a real concert. The new release, “The Unplugged EP,” is--as the title suggests--drawn from her performance on “MTV Unplugged,” where she was backed by a semi-acoustic band and a gospel chorus. But that and her appearances on two Grammy telecasts are about as close as the big-voiced singer has come to getting on the concert circuit.

Her management and record company keep a tight screen around Carey, and would give no comment about reasons for not touring. But a source close to the situation described her as a perfectionist and workaholic who feels she “hasn’t had time to put together a good show.”

Will she ever?

Could be--but definitely not until after she records her third album, which probably won’t be before next year.