Whitney in Washington -- REVIEWS!

submitted by: LaVon Patrice Lopez, from: Pikesville, MD

Friday, October 3, 1997

Rachel, all I can say was that the concert was da bomb. It was great! Whitney is a consumate professional. It started 10 minutes late and was very hot due to the air being turned off per Whitney's request. The hall was very intimate and we had great seats via the Platimum Club. She started by coming out of the floor on a dais. Before she came out, her 3 backup singers sang the chorus "I'm Every Woman". She then sang "I Will Always Love You". Her voice broke in one spot, but she recovered nicely. She went on to say at about the 4th song that she was nervous.

She thanked DC several times. She sang a duet with her Mom, Cissy, "I Know Him So Well". It was great. She also sang "Enless Love" with her brother Gary when she did a tribute to Diana Ross, who she described as one classy lady. She also sang several songs from Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick, and Porgy and Bess. Her best songs were when she sang gospel (I Love the Lord, and I Go to the Rock). She was literally rocking.

Whitney wore 3 outfits. She opened with a white, opaqued, sequin gown. She was fabulous. Whitney really interacted with the audience. Her on stage banter was funny, it flowed and it was great segways to her songs. She sang about 19 songs.

What really impressed me was the fact that she could have used this opportunity to promote new material or sing all of her stuff, but she didn't. She sang mostly other people's songs. She paid tribute to deaths this year of Tupac, Notorious Big, Princess Diana, and Betty Shabazz. She sang "Missing You" and God Bless the Child.

Whitney is the ultimate performer in my book. She has what Mariah doesn't, class, on stage presence and professionalism. Whitney was coy, cute, sexy, vibrant and in good spirits.