Oh well, let's look forward to the greatest hits albums.....

Angry fans walked out of a Whitney Houston concert after she struggled through her set, forgot the words to songs and appeared disorientated.

The singer was described as “breathless and exhausted” and had to take a break after only two songs last night in Brisbane

The 46-year-old, who admitted drug addiction during an abusive marriage to Bobby Brown, could not reach the high notes to her hits including I Will Always Love You and coughed frequently during songs.

She forgot lyrics, constantly turned her back on the audience and took long breaks in between songs to towel off, drink water and refresh her make-up. During some of these breaks, her brother Gary came on stage to sing.

Houston failed to properly name her backing band as she introduced them to the audience at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

Australian TV channels interviewed fans as they left the arena before the show had finished, with one woman telling the camera: “Houston, we have a problem. You can't sing, you forgot the words and you were the worst act we've ever seen.” Robyn Holland said: “Whitney has left the building. She couldn't entertain a dead rat.” Another fan added: “That was the worst concert I've been to in my life. What a waste of money.” In a written statement, tour manager Andrew McManus questioned why Australians could not support someone “who has seen difficult times”.

“[She] is now up on stage, warts and all, presenting herself like an open book for the world to see and they want to ridicule Whitney,” he said. “I am personally amazed at the few who are trying to derail the project. If they expected to hear Whitney of 20 years ago, go buy a CD.

“If they wanted to see a true professional artist give 100 per cent, well come along and enjoy the ride of an amazing talent, on stage, letting her heart and soul out for us all to enjoy.”

The Australian leg of her world tour is set to continue in Sydney, the Hunter Valley, Melbourne and Adelaide.

http://www.thisislondon.c...problem.do

Good grief, even her own tour manager describes it as "warts and all". That's not a good sign!

this trainwreck was not a good idea to begin with. It is only tarnishing her reputation even more.

"Shambolic?"

That word aside, this is actually pretty sad. I'd hoped Whitney would move beyond her tough times unscathed... at least onstage. Maybe she needs a bit more time getting back on foot. At least I hope that's all there is to it.

It has been OVA 4 a minute.....and a half.

sad. but you can't blame those people for walking out or demanding a refund.

If she's smart,she won't bring this tour to the States.American fans and critics will be brutal.

SoulAlive said:

Ditto. I also find it odd how she has so many dates back to back she clearly needs to rest up well for each show...

SoulAlive said:

I already KNEW this would be a bad idea if she went on this tour....

LondonStyle said:

OUCH!!

Whitney hasn't given a good vocal performace since Clinton was president. I'm not sure what these fans were expecting. Her voice is shot!

ABeautifulOne said:

Needs the money, maybe?

I refuse to believe that people didn't know Whitney was going to sneeze, cough and stutter through her songs. Her voice is gone and she should save her self from further embarrassment. Like..... ASAP!

Lammastide said:

I really doubt that but the tour is through AEG so you know what that means...

The only thing that sucks harder than Whitney, is Whitney on a pipe.

I'm sorry but I've never been a fan.



If that's the case, stop selling concert tickets then. If she's crap and U know she's crap then stop selling concert tickets. Cuz I'm willing 2 bet that no one wrote on those tickets "Warning: Miss Houston may be crap." did they?



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[Edited 2/23/10 9:14am]

ABeautifulOne said:

Slave drivers, eh? And they definitely want maximum return on investment.

Lammastide said:

Exactly.

Damn, why couldn't this have happened in 1985?

She can come sing for me. I'll be nice to her.

SoulAlive said:

Sounds like that is the case. This was the trail run and it doesn't sound like she is up to touring the US. Very sad, but true. She'll be torn apart, especially if her first US show happens on a slow news day!

This is sad. I really hope she can put her life back together.
The hell with her music career.

uPtoWnNY said:

I know, I know, I when I read this!!!!!

Lammastide said:

Of course she does, she smoked all the other money she had up. Those last dollars earned from "The Bodyguard" were placed in drug dealer's hands years ago.

Wait a minute, Whitney can't sing anymore!
OMG! I'm soooo shocked.

Her voice is gone people. Accept it and move on. If Whitney wants to make money, she should probably go back to acting. She should also become a motivational speaker for the just say no to drugs campaign.

NoVideo said:

I'd have to agree with this statement. I didn't think she was ready anyway. Maybe she won't ever be ready at this point. I'm not a vocal coach but, I don't know if the vocal cords could ever be salvaged when they're so damaged after years of abuse. Either way, this ain't a good look.

If not, maybe she could diversify herself. It's too bad she never was songwriter.

I heard about this and shook my head.

All I know is the word 'shambolic' is fabulous!

^^ Yeah, but not all Australian reviewers rated it too badly:

Soaring short, but strong on soul

WHITNEY Houston released her debut album 25 years ago, establishing her voice as an American national treasure.

From a singing dynasty, Houston was at the forefront of a new generation of divas. With her gospel and R&B leanings, combined with a pop sensibility, she had an ability to lift even the most mediocre melody into the stratosphere. Her voice was flexible, seemingly effortless and the results could be imposing.

Time and abuse have wearied her instrument, but in 2010 the singer shows a spirit and guile she rarely had to exhibit as a youth.

Opening to a near capacity house, Houston's comeback tour is her first in 10 years and her first trip to Australia in 22 years. The show isn't yet watertight, but that's part of the charm. Houston has morphed into an old-school performer, willing to give something of herself.

Opening with For the Lovers and Nothin' But Love, both from her new album I Look to You, she took a few minutes to find her groove. The sound needed correcting early on, and three songs in, Houston was doing her best while appearing to struggle vocally.

Looking fit and toned, the singer prowled the stage offering long anecdotes as she connected with her audience and reclaimed her breath.

She was able to halt her terrific band with a flick of the wrist; the musicians could stop on a dime and were prepared to follow Houston's will to improvise. Her banter and charisma are reminiscent of Elvis Presley in the 1970s. There's a casual ease that can make a 12,000-seat room feel like a community hall.

A stripped-back acoustic set provided the backdrop for some of her biggest hits.

Whereas much of the first half saw Houston reinvented as a soul stirrer, the acoustic set relied on a singer's equivalent of an ageing prizefighter's nous to compensate for the loss of past gifts with a new set of tricks. The ease with which she once vocally hit the near impossible simply isn't there any more, so melodies have been tinkered with and more attainable notes are struck instead. Occasionally she impressed with a vocal lick that showed her class but, with gravel in her register, the big choruses were largely left to the phalanx of backing singers.

Saving All My Love for You was impressive, but it lacked the stunning delivery of years gone by. The Greatest Love of All had a shaky beginning but ended with a passionate performance.

Back in full band mode, Houston was working on all cylinders. Having lost her cousin Sharon a few days ago, she offered a gospel prayer that saw the artist caught up in the moment.

A tribute to Michael Jackson, replete with her four-man dancing team, saw Whitney morphing The Way You Make Me Feel with Wanna Be Starting Something. Mixed with vocal yelps, she raised the roof.

After three costume changes and a herculean effort to try to reach that note on I Will Always Love You, Whitney was gone. She returned for an encore, but the backing singers again did the heavy lifting on the choruses for I'm Every Woman just as they had on How Will I Know earlier. Houston no longer deals in pure shimmering melodies and vocal theatrics; instead she displayed spirit, the courage to take centre stage again and the most rare of commodities in today's pop world, soul.

Sydney, tonight; Hunter Valley, Saturday; Melbourne, March 1; Adelaide, March 4; Melbourne, March 6.

----
Ugh she has a concert tonight in Sydney? Oh Lord...

nice to read something positive. Hopefully things will iron out a bit as the tour progresses. She might never have the voice she once did, but she still has alot to offer.

She has to pay what she owes to her devil den's label,,,,that album and its promotions costs weren't from the goodness of Clive Davis heart.

So expect her to go through a long process of OFF NIGHT humiliations untill her debt is paid.

I feel bad for her,,,,ALL of those "grand diva entrances/exits" she invested on her live set are the ONLY high points in her performances, but if they couldn't hide the fact that she ain't "The voice" no more.