Whitney Houston Concert In Copenhagen:Fans Walk Out – Whitney Houston’s attempted comeback tour has hit a number of hitches in recent weeks. Her voice has been faltering, and cutting in and out since the beginning of the tour prompting a number of her fans to walk out on their tickets. She performed a show in Denmark over the weekend, and a large portion of the crowd decided to go home after it became clear that the Whitney Houston show that they wanted to see would not be able to happen on that night.
The tour has received a number of poor reviews, and if she can not get her voice under control soon she may have to cancel gig. She was recently hospitalized in April with a number of nose and throat problems that could be contributing to her singing issues. She was booed during one performance in Houston because she was unable to sing on key.
She then got into an argument with a section of the crowd that starting yelling when she gave a dedication speech to Michael Jackson. Critics of Houston have had a lot of ammo in the past weeks, and some have even said that they believe that the R&B diva should hang it up. By all accounts, she appears to be lethargic on stage compared to the inspiring artist that she used to be.
“She looked and sounded like a person who doesn’t have many years left to live. At the end of the show she looked like she was ready to explode,” said one journalist who had gone to the tour in order to review her show. Some have stated that her recent problems singing could be related to drug use earlier in her life.
Whitney has had one of the most stellar careers ever documented in the music industry. She has triumphed over drug addiction, and the trappings of fame. This should be enough for her to walk away from the game with her head held high. Continuing in her current state is not worth the ridicule and poor reception she has been receiving, or, maybe for her, it is worth it. Live your life Whitney, and don’t let anything break your stride.
Whitney Houston should never haved ventured on this ill fated concert tour. She spent almost a decade destroying her gift from God- her voice, her talent- by using cocaine, smoking crack, alcohol abuse and god knows what else. Miss Houston also still smokes cigarettes today. Millions of Houston fans want to see her successfully return to live stage appearances, but not in the condition of her current voice. After making the decision to break her substance abuse demons and getting her personal life together, it would have been wise for Whitney to have spent at least two years on voice lessons or whatever time was needed before venturing out on such a huge concert tour. Miss Houston owed that to her fans.
Watching Whitney on Youtube videos on stage during this tour is painful. She is grasping for air and musical notes, wheezing, numerous off key musical moments, desperately trying to stall for time on stage by talking, talking and more talking when she should be singing, singing and more singing. From a physical aspect Whitney on stage looks primarily like a hot mess. The outfits she has chosen basically look like outfits she should have worn primarily at rehearsal and not during the actual concert show. Even Whitney’s most dedicated fans feel utterly embarrassed for her. Of course no one expects her voice to be like the pre drug Whitney years, but the condition of her vocal powers during this tour are simply way below average. If Whitney is planning a USA concert tour following the Austrialia and Europe gigs -Don’t. Don’t do that to yourself Miss Whitney, most of all don’t do it to your fans.
“Open letter to the media in Germany and Europe concerning the coverage of Whitney Houston’s “Nothing But Love” tour
Dear Media
The coverage of the German and European media about the current “Nothing But Love” tour of the artist Whitney Houston has largely been unbearable and that is still putting it mildly. The journalistic standards were so low that the critical readers should ask themselves whether the reliability of the source “newspaper” in regards to politically more pressing issues than a concert tour should be taken for granted. My criticism is not so much about the sole expression of an opinion by some authors, which are already missing any sense of respect and decency, but about the deliberate twisting of the truth as things were simply invented.
Often times lies have been created where it was obviously not enough for the editors to misinterpret the facts and to twist the story. A German newspaper wrote that Whitney Houston held an extensive lecture about drugs, her beating husband and her hard life for several minutes during one of her recent concerts. Since I attended the concert in question, I happen to know however, that the first two points were never even mentioned in the concert and that the third point was at best alluded to very briefly. That makes you wonder if that editor just wasn’t very capable of the English language and therefore would have been better of by refraining from any comment as to what has been said or whether – what I think is much more likely – he just used his imagination to polish up reality and his otherwise boring story.
Both would be absolutely an evidence of utter incapacity The unbelievably low level of journalism also shows again and again, when reference is made
to support acts at concerts and family members of Ms Houston. Her mother is being referred to as “Cindy” instead Cissy or the name of the support act singer Azaryah Davidson quickly changes to “Aszhasf Johnson”. Both incidents just demonstrate clearly how little attention has been paid while drawing up these reports.
The next issue at hand is the content of the reports to the degree they actually deal with the concerts and their quality instead of again and again warming-up old stories – probably for lack of sufficiently scandalous more recent news. Specifically, I refer to those concerts that took place in Germany and Switzerland, some of which I was able to attend myself and therefore take the liberty to have an opinion. In these reports regarding the concerts themselves, the stylistic device of hyperbole was used very extensively to the point of twisting and neglecting the “truth”, even if I concede that in the field of art/music/entertainment often
there is no absolute truth. The fact that a few people left a concert prematurely is inflated to a scandal, while 90% of the audience were clapping, cheering and clearly having a good time.
That is a very questionable road to take as a journalist. Isolated people who behave disrespectfully towards the artist (booing) are made into representatives of the majority opinion. That is very poor journalistic style.
But the full extent of the bias of the self-appointed critics and journalists really struck me, when Ms. Houston performed some very good concerts in quick succession – of which the best vocally was probably Nuremberg even when measured against old standards. She received prolonged standing ovations, as well as cheers and applause for several minutes with a request for an encore after the concert. But a fool who thought that now a more positive article was due. Instead, the assembled audience was called for collective delusion. It was
charged with wearing “pink sunglasses and ear plugs”.
To this I have to answer this: The audience in Nuremberg spanned ages from teenagers to greying seniors. Who can seriously claim that especially the older attendees wouldn’t form a more critical opinion? This wasn’t a teen-idol concert where the arena is filled with girls who have a crush. Certainly, there are also the “die-hard” fans – those that populate the first five rows, and really applaud and cheer at a not-so-good evening, if only out of respect for a life’s work; those fans who not only attended one but often several concerts of this tour in Germany. But in Nuremberg an entire audience stood and cheered, paying standing ovation
to the artist for several minutes – and they did because it was more than deserved on this evening. The concert in Nuremberg was perhaps the best of this tour in Germany with Whitney Houston in perfect shape delivering a performance that was hardly any different from the supposedly fantastic years
It is also not really clear to me what is to be criticized about the adjustment of the key of certain songs to accommodate an altered voice (after all, the lady is now 46 years old) – this doesn’t diminish the achievement and the quality of a performance in any way. I’d rather listen a thousand times to the terrific live performances of an artist like Whitney Houston than to let myself be entertained by her age and genre-peers using full playback.
But perhaps the editors, critics and journalists are just struggling with the fact that they have become witness to a special quality in the relationship between Whitney Houston and her fans today. These fans have suffered with her in the years when everything was not well at all. They had to learn – sometimes painfully- that stars are only human after all and that perfection is just an illusion. But they have finally learned and the relationship between Whitney Houston and her fans today differs very much from the relationship of other stars to their fans. Whitney Houston’s fans know that perfection cannot be delivered every day. They
have understood that an artist – just as a sportsman (which we somehow have much less of a problem conceding this to) – also has something like a daily form. They no longer demand perfection from their star, but accept the fantastic performances as well as the weaker days.
On the other hand the “new” Whitney Houston seems to know and appreciate this fact very much. She is more open and free-spirited than before and she acknowledges her weaknesses with admirable self-insight like never before in her career. It is mutual respect that characterizes this relationship today and maybe it’s just the cynicism of many people that is trying to read blind affection into this.
Hardly anyone knows better about the weaknesses and strengths of the artist Whitney Houston than her fans for decades. We can hear and see during the first song what kind of night it will be – but that’s life – and we live and love life.
As a final note I want to remark on the constantly repeated statements concerning Whitney Houston’s physical shape and looks. Anyone who has followed her career just a little bit will know that the issue at hand was a strong tendency to underweight during the last decades.
During the worst times this lady was not much more than skin and bones. Drug use, personal problems and stress often led to massive weight loss always followed by corresponding tabloid articles and sorrows for her fans. We as fans are more than happy that she is currently carrying a small emergency package around with her because this shows to us that she is currently doing very well in fact. happy and contented looking particularly healthy lady. Moreover, she is still an incredibly beautiful woman due to her incredible inner strength.
With kind regards,
Musictina”
I feel for Whitney. what she is trying to do is extremely diifcult. I hope this does not cause her to relapse. Getting off of drugs must be one of the hardest things to do and a failed marriage and everyone on the planet earth knowing about it. Maybe she wasn’t ready and was forced to do this for other reasons. She needs some time. I am sure if she could take back those crazy years she would. I will continue to pray for her.
I agree with LadyPrez1. Sometimes it is not the time to be what you use to be. The bible says in Eccl. that there is a time for everything under the heavens. Right now for Whitney, it is time to rest, remember, heal, love and just be at peace. I say, sit down Whitney, help somebody who needs help and relax and live.
We should all ignore the negative commentary made towards Whitney Houston. Every artist will have good moments and bad ones; it’s up to the listener to decide why they came- to critique or to wait and enjoy the good moments. All Whiteny Houston needs is one real audience member waiting for the good moments- and then they will come, one after the other.
Let the critics stand on stage and try to produce themselves under their own scrutiny. Then the truth will be know.
Go Whitney, it’s still in you and always will be.
Every Artist has good moments and bad moments, but are all of their bad moments usually in ONE TOUR? I guess I like train-wrecks, cause I watch the YouTube Videos and always interesting to watch this tour! sometimes you think the songs are going OK, then WHAM, smack in the head, it isn’t! Funny, though. If she’d come to the Philadelphia region, if she tours in the US, I might pay money to watch it up-close.