Whitney Houston bombs in London
Dear Whitney Houston:
I hope life treats you kind. Kinder than some of the fans at your recent show in London. That doesn’t seem likely as long as you keep singing.
Love, Buzz
Whitney Houston performs in London. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)
The diva croaked through another show on what is becoming a disastrous tour with booing (and sometimes departing) fans reacting to her shambles of a voice. After her froggy performance at London’s O2 Arena, she apologized and blamed the air conditioning.
“Sometimes the old girl sings, but not tonight,” Houston told the crowd, according to a news report in the Guardian. “I want to do it, but she doesn’t want to … She’s getting a little temperamental.”
The troubled performance has, of course, been well documented on YouTube (although some fans have posted comments suggesting security guards have tried to stop people from making recordings during concerts – good luck with that).
Here’s our favorite video of the London performance - make that attempt - at her famous “I Will Always Love You.”
Houston, winded and wheezy, takes a lengthy time-out during the middle of the song, and whoever made this recording cheers encouragingly, “Come on…come on…hit it…yes!”
The independent filmmaker quickly turns on her, moaning “Oh God, that’s awful!” as Houston screeches out the final notes of the ballad.
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117 comments Add your comment
bryon
April 27th, 2010
10:51 am
Thank you Joanne…perfectly said. I think she started off too intense, too quickly. She needs to take it slow and build back her stamina…vocally and physically.
Seriously?
April 27th, 2010
11:00 am
I am taking Joanne’s advice and thank Jesus..thank Jesus that I was not one of the saps that paid big bucks to watch this drug soaked person perform. What a joke and what a joke that people actually buy the tickets and then get disappointed about her performance. These are the same people that would buy a NASCAR ticket and then get mad because they have a crash. Point is, you expect the crash and you expect Whitney to suck due to her lifestyle for the last 15 years. So why boo?
Twindivamomma
April 27th, 2010
11:08 am
Sadly Whitney’s voice is gone. I don’t think she is on drugs. What I do suspect is that the years of smoking cigarettes has taken its toll on her vocal chords. It appears she is sweating probably because she is out of shape for putting on a concert. I have seen many folks in concert and as a singer it takes a lot of of you to perform for one hour. She is much older now, her body has been damaged from the years of drinking and drugs. I think the kindest thing her staff can do is to just ask her to stop touring and take some time to regain her acting career. Although I agree with the sentiments she wasn’t a GREAT actress. However many folks today aren’t. She will be in good company.
Atlanta Man
April 27th, 2010
11:46 am
Crack is wack!
If she didn’t smoke that stuff, I don’t think she would be as bad as she is now. Sure, she is old and I never liked her music or acting. But she is even worse now. She should retire to a cheap secluded spot and write about what drugs did to her life.
tom
April 27th, 2010
11:51 am
Screw off critical aholas ……………Whitney has courage most of you will never know.
OhReally
April 27th, 2010
11:54 am
Joanne, I agree wholeheartedly with much of what you stated, however, it appears that you are just another arrogant Believer whose mouth does more harm than good. I submit to you that your responsibility as a Believer is to bring folks to Christ and let Him handle the rest. Not everyone knows about or believes in the power of pray but instead of using this as an opportunity to teach and reach, you respond by telling them they need to shut up. If the Lord hasn’t silenced you, who are you to suggest that others be silent? Pray as you go, Whitney, and you will be led accordingly!!
Calvin G. Sims, Sr.
April 27th, 2010
11:55 am
Poor Whitney. I hope she is able to get it together. I hope that she is not on drugs again. I will continue to love her because of all the wonderful music that she gave us in the past. Unfortunately, her best years may be behind her.
There is no shame in that. We all get old and become a shadow of our former selves. Sadly, her lifestyle contributed to an untimely demise that may have come later rather than sooner.
Bobby Brown
April 27th, 2010
12:01 pm
It says in the Bible to make a JOYFUL NOISE! When are you people going to understand that she is doing this!!!!
Ken
April 27th, 2010
12:02 pm
It’s sad, and she should not be on the road. There are dynamic singers out there who can still belt them out in their 60’s, like Donna Summer and Elton John, with updated arraignments.
Whitney is only in her 40’s, there are serious problems here with the way she looks on stage,
let alone how she sounds.
Keith
April 27th, 2010
12:10 pm
Ha. What a loser she is. Yet another black celeb screwing up.
Jason
April 27th, 2010
12:11 pm
Whitney has always sucked, her ‘music’ & her ‘acting.’ I could’ve gone the rest of my life w/out hearing her butcher Dolly Parton’s song. I wish i had the last 10 mins of my life back.
Olivia
April 27th, 2010
12:12 pm
This is the mirror that the Linseys, Britney’s and many other hollywood drug and alcohol adicts should look at themselves. They think they own everything but they end upd having nothing. Lose all to their adictions and inmaturity. What is worse, young competition is coming bold and strong like Charice Pepengo, Megan Ryan or some contestants in Americal Idol. Just see the chinise guy sing note by note “I will alwasy love you” in youtube. All and each one of them can hit even higher notes and with equal heart as Witney in her best times. It is really sad.
caro webb
April 27th, 2010
12:14 pm
oh like white celebs dont screw up, in worse ways grow up!
carol
April 27th, 2010
12:16 pm
whatever give her a break damn she broke an addiction, she is trying to sing, cut her some slack, she did not kill anyone, just damaged herself,
Jason
April 27th, 2010
12:16 pm
She looks like George Foreman after going 12 with Holyfield.
James
April 27th, 2010
12:20 pm
Her voice is now wacked as well! To bad…at one time she had the world by the tail and now look! It’s hard to have sympathy for someone who intentionally threw their life away! Sorry to be so hard but speaking the truth!
Josie
April 27th, 2010
12:24 pm
This is not a racial issue for those ignorant enough to try and make it one. It’s just about a has-been whoes come back has failed miserably. Whitney had her day in the sun and she, like so many in the biz, blew it with drugs. The cold, hard truth is, though we may all deserve a second chance, we dont all get one. And if we do, it sometimes doesn’t work out. Now it’s time for her to accept the consequences of her actions and take her lumps. She’s washed up and that’s that. Goodbye Whitney. I hope the one good thing that can come of this is a lesson for the younger singers up and coming. But I doubt it.
Nicky
April 27th, 2010
12:25 pm
I am very proud of Whitney. I love her music and will continue to support her through this all. I am proud because she broke and addiction that nearly cost her everything. Keep on singing Whitney, your true fans will always be with you
Deb
April 27th, 2010
12:35 pm
Show me the reciepts!, I ain’t ever bought drugs…..Show me the receipts! Bobby and I are doin good, ahemm, Whitney-Crack Kills
Mercedes
April 27th, 2010
12:35 pm
Keith, you’re a racist, you should spew your hateful remarks somewhere else. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”.
Don
April 27th, 2010
12:38 pm
Why does everything always have to be about race. Who cares if she was frickin purple. If she sucks she sucks.
TrafficHeadache
April 27th, 2010
12:39 pm
Race, schmace. It’s her ego that’s always turned me off.
sandy
April 27th, 2010
1:00 pm
OH MERCEDES quit throwing out the “your a racist”.
She sucked no matter what color dress she wore or the color of her skin.
She smoked to much crack and ruined her vocal cords- like an idiot she threw
away a wonderful gift. She should step down and admit she f- up!
Just Nasty & Mean
April 27th, 2010
1:00 pm
When you are a washed up–has been–crack head—-race has nothing to do with it.
SamE
April 27th, 2010
1:08 pm
I feel terrible for her, no one is free of mistakes, and thank goodness addictions don’t happen to everyone, this just shows it can happen to anyone. She needs to stop this until she’s completely healed. Tragic!
Donna
April 27th, 2010
1:11 pm
give this woman a hand. She’s TRYING to comeback. She’s TRYING to kick a bad habit. Maybe she’s put on weight because she is taking prescribed medicine. Who knows? Stop the nastiness, she’s trying.
This is the evilness of media.
Sam the Sham
April 27th, 2010
1:12 pm
I think we should make her the spokesperson for the legalization of drugs. It is obvious that drugs harm no one and are victimless.
Donna
April 27th, 2010
1:16 pm
If you’re bad, you’re bad. Doesn’t matter what your skin color. She put on a lousy performance. People should be warned that if you go, she will have difficulty, don’t expect perfection. Give her credit for trying to comeback. But there is NOTHING wrong with criticizing a horrid performance, it’s not racist. It’s a racist, who thinks it.
Jack Black
April 27th, 2010
1:18 pm
Mercedes – Black or White, your a moron. Go ahead and call me a racist now, cause you’re a scum bag.
C J
April 27th, 2010
1:30 pm
Dear Family, Please, help Whitney, A-S-A-P… for she is spiraling towards death.
Tiffani
April 27th, 2010
1:34 pm
Last time I checked, your actual singing ability didn’t have anything to do with race, but unfortunately in her case, crack…excuse me, because crack is cheap, I meant, cocaine, has totally ruined her voice. At some point, she’s going to have to just give it up. Maybe she should look into writing songs, or even producing, but she needs to be more so behind the scenes instead of in front of a mic…have mercy on our ears please!!! Lol.
Whitney
April 27th, 2010
1:49 pm
Crack is Whack!
Franklin
April 27th, 2010
1:52 pm
Wow. She stinks.
DSP
April 27th, 2010
1:54 pm
The only positive thing I can say about that performance
is that it wasn’t at the Apollo Theater. Crack is whack.
Even worse than that attempt to sing her all-time hit.
It’s too similar to what happened to Diana Ross.
I hope she recovers, though. Get well Whitney.
KB
April 27th, 2010
2:05 pm
So sad for her beautiful voice to have been destroyed by drugs–rarely have poor choices hurt someone as badly. All of that talent totally wasted! We have seen it happen to so many talented performers–when will they ever learn? I hope her plight will help others to see, but they watched Janis Joplin and others die and it didn’t make them stop.
Calalily
April 27th, 2010
2:11 pm
She shouldn’t be singing her old songs, because as people get older their voice and ranges change. She should be signing new songs that allow her to use the voice she has now.
Truthpaste
April 27th, 2010
2:13 pm
@mercedes Stop with the charges of racism. When it does happen, no one will listen because people like you cry wolf every five minutes. Keith, albeit an insensitive and abrupt douche, said nothing racist. Whitney is Black, she’s a celeb, and another screw up in a long line of them. Playing the race card every second of the day takes away the power of it.
ANITA PRICE
April 27th, 2010
2:13 pm
GIVE HER A GOOD CHANCE SHE WILL COME BACK GREAT
DUH!
April 27th, 2010
2:33 pm
Joanne- The rest of us don’t put ourselves on a stage and charge audience members $200 each to see us fall short. Sure we all fail from time to time, but WH invites the world to watch her and deserves any criticism she gets by doing so.
kwonjez Jazdrak
April 27th, 2010
2:34 pm
Whitney have been under the weather lately and she is trying to come back too soon.Take your time ‘Sis and get yourself together and make a strong come back.Look over the haters and the negative talk,because the same ones that are talking about you,CAN’T even sing a wink themselves.People are so quick to judge,but I don’t care whether she smoked crack,meth,herion or whatever,that’s her biz and she’ll always be my ‘Sis.Hold your head up Whitney,hell you’re singing to support yourself and Bobbi and tell the one that are badmouthing you to KISS OFF and find a hobby.
katrina
April 27th, 2010
2:38 pm
The fat lady has sung….
Reginald B. Coleman
April 27th, 2010
2:40 pm
I think you are great, and will always love you Whitney.
KenFromCalifornia
April 27th, 2010
2:49 pm
if you can’t perform at your best, then stop charging for tickets.
that happened in concord, ca (near san francisco) 10 years ago, back when the drug addiction was being explained away as, “she has a cold”. no believed it, especially when whitney cancelled her concord gig barely 1 hour before showtime.
the city government of concord got so mad at whitney, they sued to recover the cost of the police services for that afternoon. they failed, but they certainly didn’t just sit there and let her flimsy excuse go unchallenged.
the people who paid for parking did not get a refund, and those who tried to return their tshirts and souvenir books also were told, “tough”
so a few years later, the truth about whitney cancelling her concerts finally did come out. it’s probably in her contract now that she has to perform no matter how messed up she is, but what people are getting is a pile of hot you-know-what onstage.
you probably have sistas at your local karaoke bar who can do whitney’s songs better than whitney is able to do now. and you can listen to them for FREE.
Rob
April 27th, 2010
2:53 pm
She needs to hire this guy to sing the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7NNr_qrmDA
HONDO
April 27th, 2010
3:12 pm
I SAW HER CONCERT IN LONDON, TOOK MY WIFE WE WERE ON OUR HONEYMOON. WHAT A NIGHT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, BUT WASN’T. SHE WAS ABSOULUTLY TERRIBLE, MY WIFE WAS IN TEARS. SHE SHOULD OF JUST CANCELED THE SHOW. I GUESS THAT’S WHAT CRACK DOES TO YOU
Junior Samples
April 27th, 2010
3:18 pm
how’d that marriage to Bobby Brown work out for you there sister. DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD CHANGE HIM????
Jose
April 27th, 2010
3:21 pm
Get off the crack, girl!
Steve
April 27th, 2010
3:33 pm
That video was quite painful to listen to. How sad.
Still rooting for Whitney
April 27th, 2010
4:02 pm
This makes me SO sad. That was not good, but I’m really rooting for Whitney. OMG. So sad. Cannot even joke about this. I know she did it to herself, but I feel badly for her. Damn it, Whitney.
Dutchess
April 27th, 2010
4:16 pm
Firt off, I would like to say that people are so judgemental of others. I mean if we are all excluded from mistakes,errors,mishaps, etc. in our life then we would be perfect just like GOD, and last time I checked no one on this earth is perfect, but him. Yes, Whitney probably did do a horrible job, but she still had the guts to atleast try to please her fans and do her best. Secondly, yes, I know a lot of people spent a lot of money, and had other reasons for going to her show, However, if you are a beliver of GOD, then you should know- you’ll get your blessings in other ways. Lastly, seriously people take yourself out of your shoes, would you all want someone to be that hard on you for atleast trying? Judge not so you will not be judged.