Whitney Houston plays the first full show of her 31-date European tour tonight in Vechter, Germany. The itinerary runs until Oct. 23 and includes dates in Switzerland, the U.K., France, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Holland, Italy, and Austria.

The tour follows Houston's successful run of shows in North America. It also takes place with her current Arista set, "My Love Is Your Love," at No. 1 on Music & Media's European Top 100 Albums chart.

According to the label, the set has sold 3.8 million copies outside the U.S., where it is certified for sales of 2 million. The album is No. 54 this week on The Billboard 200.

As on the U.S. dates, Houston will model a wardrobe created especially for her by Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana. She tells Billboard Online, "I open my show with a blast. I have on this Dolce & Gabbana outfit -- [It's] green and yellow and all the [lights] are flashing [on me] -- and my hair is different and the people are loving it. They love to see that you can reinvent yourself and come back and kick butt."

With the title track from "My Love Is Your Love" still performing well around Europe, Arista will not release the next single from the album, "I Learned From The Best," until the fall.

-- Paul Sexton, London