 At the 48th Grammy Awards , held on February 8 , 2006 , Carey was nominated for eight awards — the most she had ever received in one night . That night , Carey returned to the Grammy stage for the first time since 1996 . Her performance opened with a pre @-@ taped video in which she discussed the importance of God and religion in her life . Carey then came to the stage , dressed in a white Chanel gown , and sang a shortened version of " We Belong Together " . Next , Carey 's pastor Clarence Keaton read a Bible passage to open Carey 's performance of " Fly Like a Bird " , as he did in the studio recording of the song . Midway through the song , a black temporary wall was removed , revealing a large choir who joined Carey for the song 's gospel climax . The performance earned the night 's only standing ovation , prompting Teri Hatcher , who was presenting the next award , to exclaim , " It 's like we 've all just been saved ! " Carey 's performance earned rave reviews from critics . Gary Susman from Entertainment Weekly called Carey the " comeback queen " , noting that her voice " soar [ ed ] into the rafters like only Carey 's can . " Carey included " We Belong Together " on both succeeding tours following its release , the Adventures of Mimi and Angels Advocate Tours . On the former , the song was featured as the encore number , with Carey re @-@ entering the arenas in a form fitting beige evening gown . Backed by three background vocalists , Trey Lorenz , Sherry Tatum , and MaryAnn Tatum , Carey began the song as confetti dropped the arena rafters . According to Jennifer Vineyard from MTV News , the performance was " a major accomplishment " , and the highlight of the show , and found Carey re @-@ connect with the audience in ways that she was unable throughout most of the show . Similarly , during her Angel 's Advocate Tour , the song was placed as one of the final numbers on the set @-@ list . Dressed in a black Herve Leger gown , Carey introduced the song as the Billboard 's " song of the decade " , and thanked the audience for making it her 16th number @-@ one single in the United States . Following the song 's completion , Carey exited the arena for a few moments , before returning to perform " Hero " as the encore . 
