Concert date:

Review of the show:
Hi Lisa, I don't get the impression that many of the "reviewer's" have ever sang a note in their lives, so hopefully a singer's perspective will be appreciated. The last time I saw Whitney was in L.A. in August of 1999 during the "My Love Is Your Love" Tour. I enjoyed the concert immensely, and I believe as Oprah does…being in the room while Whitney is singing is an honor. The concert in L.A. was very exciting, but I could hear the fatigue in Whitney’s voice; which is not unusual given her hectic tour schedule. The show at the Aladdin reminded me what a powerful instrument Whitney was blessed with. Her voice was well rested and clear, and she used it to its full extent to delight the audience…even the geriatric set had to walk away acknowledging she is undoubtedly one of the best vocalist of our time.

It was really cool to be a part of Whitney and Bobby’s first concert together. Bobby’s set was surprisingly good. He began by singing a Fred Hammond song called, “The Spirit of David”, and I was genuinely impressed by his vocal ability. I was sitting on the main floor at the end of stage right, and when he launched into his better- known hits, many of the people sitting around me stood. Since we were flooded by lights from the stage left, Bobby noticed that we were supportive and ventured over several times to party. In contrast, Whitney came over twice...which was completely thrilling. I don’t know why, but having eye contact with Whitney while she’s singing is absolutely awesome. I was enjoying Bobby’s set until he insisted on being Bobby Brown. His act seemed dated and inappropriate for three reasons: he shared billing with Whitney; the make-up of the crowd really didn’t dictate that he remove his clothing and lay down his towel and “pretend it was his wife”; and, his children were in the wings with Whitney and Cissy. Hopefully his performance will develop into something mature respectable.

When Whitney appeared from stage right, I was captivated and quickly noticed her transformation. As noted in previous reviews, while she was in the wings, she was dressed very casually in a black three-quarter length jacket, a white t-shirt and jeans and her hair was relatively straight. When she appeared on stage, her hair was much fuller and curled and she had on a gown (it was not yellow as previously reported; it was very pale green) and transparent, open-toe pumps with rhinestone-encrusted straps. In short, she looked very elegant and lovely. By the way, the woman that sat next to me cried from the moment Whitney appeared until the event was over. Again, she sounded remarkably well and appeared to be undaunted by the relentless negative press reports. Take it from me, Whitney has THE best falsetto in the business, and she stepped into it effortlessly the entire performance. When she’s hoarse, she can’t always count on it transitioning without a break in her voice, but she nailed it repeatedly. My favorite song of the evening was “I Love the Lord” even though I’ve heard her sing on several occasions. She commented that Cissy taught her the song when she was fourteen, but she didn’t realize how much the song meant to her until she was much older…you could hear the conviction in her voice. I walked away deeply appreciative and her voice continues to resonate today; several days later…attending a live Whitney performance is ultimately my favorite past-time.

Take care,

Clif