Whitney in Washington -- REVIEWS!

submitted by: Pat Roland

Rachel~

I just finished the concert, and stamina and energy would be the words I would use to descirbe it. La Houston performed for over 2 and one half hours with a set that included reference to the entertainers and family that have influenced Whitney's life and singing style in true classic fashion.

The set was exactly the same as Friday's, and it really cooked towards the end. She really jammed on the gospel set and she had the likes of BeBe Winans, Monica and miss Shirley Ceaser Shooping right along with her during Exhale.

Other highlights were a touching mother/child moment when Bobbi Kris walked on stage, a duet with mom (one of her best ever recorderd songs if you ask me...I know Him So Well), and that classic improvsational style that is becoming her trademark.

She doesn't talk about things, she sings about them.

I hadn't seen her do Step by Step live yet, so that was a treat, and even Greatest Love, and Every Woman proved her remarkable vocal prowess (even after over two hours of straight singing). She was straining a little near the end, but she pulled in off with a degree of pinache that is lacking in other performers. I love the Lord was the absolute highlight, she gave me goose bumps and I swear I could trace a little tear that was just about to trinkle down from my eyes.

I have to admit, I would have preferred her to sing stand-bys such as I Wanna Dance, How Will I Know, All the Man, Count on Me, So Emotional, and others, but this concert was really about Whitney working through her life and discovering herself in the end. All of her material, save, I Will Always (which, oddly, she did first) came after the tributes to the likes of Dionne, Aretha, Diana, and Sammy. I even enjoyed Bobby's dance during Bojangles and usually I get annoyed with his presence during her concerts.

As far as wardrobe goes, I didn't like the white dress she wore at first, she just looked too motherly in it. Then she cahnged in to a strappless goldish number that was to die for and came out wearing a black pant suit with a drape in the back for the two encores which was georgeous. Her hair wasn't my favorite style for her, but I guess the shorter, the less maintinance, and lord knows, the woman can sweat!

HBO showed a little clip from Cinderella prior to the concert, singing that "impossible" song her and Brandy were doing on ET a couple weeks ago. Cinderella looks like a fun project. (Only 4 weeks from tonight!) Anyway, the concert didn't even start til 9 and now it is midnight and I have to put a long day in tomorrow at the newspaper, so I'll sign off now.

Pat R.

yeesh-
I just read all of the reviews from whitney's "fans".

WHATEVER!

yes she prattled on and on and yes the high notes were strained (when she did hit them at all and no she didn't sing her greatest hits), but it was something different.

That was the whole point, it was Whitney's musical oddessy replete with influences old and new. It's not my favorite concert by her, but her performance doesn't deserve the crap these so called fans are dishing out. She is a human being, she is not perfect. Plus I don't think she was suffering from a cold and smoking does NOT destroy your lungs, whether she does or not and if she does, there is nothing wrong with a visit from Mr. Nicotine every now and again.

I am very agitated after eading the reviews, if those are her fans, I would hate to read what her enemies said.

I'd like to see any one of them get up there and express the radience that she did for over 2 and a half hours.

Post whatever you want that I said, I'm a journalist, so I'm down with free speech :)

I am listening to "The Velvet Rope" right now, and I know you don't like Janet, but this album is hugely impressive. It probably won't be her biggest commercially, but it is her finest achievement artistically. Which could also be said about Classic Whitney. Certain fans can't handle anything original, and that's what Sunday's concert was, very original and artistic, and even though I too would rather retread through the archives of the truly classic Whitney, I appreciate her efforts to give the fans a chronicle of her musical journey.

Please post THAT!
pat r. :)