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THE EUROPEAN TOUR 1998
REVIEW
Review By Manish - Aschaffenburg, Germany 11 July 1998
This open air concert at the Festplatz to 50,000 fans turned out to be a real insight into Whitney Houston. This is not to say that everything that happened on this night defines who Whitney Houston really is - it doesn't, but it gave us a chance to see the woman Whitney Houston as opposed to the superstar.
Once again, the set list was the same as the previous shows on the tour - with "I Go To The Rock" being replaced by "I Believe In You And Me".
Heaters on either side of the stage were not enough to keep Whitney's throat warm against the cool summer breeze of the evening (it actually got a little more windy as the show went on). Whitney graciously explained why she couldn't reach some of those notes and I can't say that she missed so many notes simply because she still had a strong voice that night and she performed most of the songs with little trouble. Everything was going just fine in this show for UNICEF (no representation, banners or introduction from someone from the organisation).
During "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Whitney changed the angle and proceeded to address the song to Bobbi, one of the lines (paraphrased) later in the song saying "If I'm not around, you know you can go to your grandma". Not wanting to read too much into this, but at the same time leaving me with questions as to the nature of that statement.
Coming close to the end of "The Boss", the power cut. This effected all the amplifiers and the two large screens on either side of the stage. Whitney and her band closed the song as they awaited news of what had happened. Whitney was very quick to assure the fans that she wouldn't leave until after the power was back - she would finish though.
It was at this point that the interaction with her fans really kicked in. She would ask that the message be passed back that the power would be back in ten minutes. For me, it was a realisation that I was actually hearing Whitney Houston's voice - not through a mic or TV or CD - this was her actual voice without any assistance.
Whilst the interaction with fans continued, her annoyance at the situation was building and this was evidenced by the prompt sending off stage of Bobbi and the other children who very quickly left.
Asking the audience to raise their hands to the heavens proved to keep the momentum of the show going and the power was soon restored - in time for the performance of "I Love The Lord" - this is the point where things started to chance. The song was performed with a lot of passion and emotion. Whitney finished when she wanted and not when the song dictated. The praise for the fans continued and another turning point came when Whitney said she had considered giving up live performances for good, feeling she could no longer do it. This tour has helped convince her that she should go on.
It was really good to hear "I Believe In You And Me" at this point. Whitney appeared to be slightly more composed for this song. The song is recorded in a lower key and therefore there wasn't too much of a problem for Whitney in the delivery of the song.
Already quite obviously emotional, Whitney's attempt to perform "I Will Always Love You" was met with her own tears. It was here that Whitney's emotional state was no longer disguised - or that she wasn't denying the tears. She was clearly crying and, in what seemed to me to be attempts to regain her composure for the song, Whitney thanked the band and the crew and her security for their dedication to her, many of them receiving heartfelt embraces.
Still unable to finish "I Will Always Love You", Whitney's brother Gary comforted his sister, tears in his eyes at this point as well.
Finally, a tearful Cissy Houston took the stage and held her daughter as she completed the song for her. Whitney left the stage.
Around five minutes passed and Whitney re-appeared for the finale of "Step By Step". She appeared completely focused and vocally she couldn't have been in better form for the number. Perfect execution and it was obvious that the time spent backstage changing was also used to re-group and re-build her emotional state.
This show was a real insight into Whitney. I don't know what was going through her mind but it was clear to me that she had composed herself for this event and everything was going to plan until the power-cut. The plan was "damaged" in some way and the control left the hands of Whitney. This seemed to serve as the catalyst for the emotional breakdown which left us all looking around trying to find someone's eyes who may have understood what had just happened. Many were confused and concerned, but equally, there were many who seemed to just think this was part of the show or that Whitney had just run off on a tangent.
For me, I can only guess that there were overwhelming pressures on Whitney based around this show. The show that the whole European Tour was structured around.
This was a very good show. She did have a good voice - it just didn't reach the higher notes after the first three songs. Other than that, the energy and desire to provide a night to remember was all there. Understanding the breakdown is probably something we will not get an insight on, but the fact that Whitney confirmed the importance of her fans and her faith so many times provides comfort in the knowledge that she knows the way forward.
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© 1999 Manish
www.classicwhitney.com
- Disclaimer.
