Yes, it's sad but true. The former diva can no longer sing. One of the greatest vocal performers of our generation is now running around stage speak-singing and dropping out to let the chorus singers sing all the high notes.
Whitney Houston is in the land down under for a short concert tour called "Nothing But Love" (when she arrived in Brisbane she threw a huge fit when her limo was 2 minutes late). Her show last night in Brisbane angered many fans however. Fans gave the performance mixed reviews with many saying she was coughing and taking breaks to try and catch her breath, and was sweating profusely. Many are expected to demand refunds. The negative reviews will surely hurt the tour as Brisbane was her first stop.
In an ill-guided attempt at damage control, the concert tour promoter, Andrew McManus spoke out to defend Houston. He said, "I saw the whole show. Was it an A? No, it was probably a B+. It was not a train wreck. She was hitting most of the notes. Yes, her throat was a little croaky. Her health is fine but she's also not 22 years of age anymore. She was on stage for two-and-a-half hours dancing, singing, running. Was she a little out of breath on a couple of songs? Yes, she was. But I don't apologise for that, she had a red-hot go."
Ouch! When your tour promoter says she hit "most" of the notes, that can't be good. Saying things like it was a "B+" and it wasn't a "train wreck" just make it sound like it was worse. He also added that Houston was surprised by the negative reviews saying, "she went to bed after the show giving a two-and-a-half hour solid performance. She was proud of it. She thought she gave her all and did a strong performance and I agreed with her. This was the first night of a tour after a long flight; she hasn't played for a while."
Here again he gives a compliment about the show ("strong performance") and follows up with an excuse for her ("she hasn't played in a while").
The unfortunate point is Whitney Houston threw her voice away with drug addiction and poor health. Hopefully she will stop ruining her voice further by doing more performances and either retire or get vocal help. Although it's OK to feel sorry for Whitney, it's not OK for her to be charging fans upwards of $195 AU for a performance that wouldn't pass on American Idol.
Quotes via Contact Music
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