Whitney Houston struggled with her voice during her much-hyped comeback performance on "Good Morning America" Tuesday.
The Grammy-winning diva apologized to the 5,000-person crowd for overusing her famous pipes before taking the stage in Central Park to promote her new album "I Look to You."
"I'm so sorry. I did 'Oprah.' I've been talking for so long. ... I talked so much, my voice," she said, trailing off.
"I shouldn't be talking. I should be singing," she said before breaking into her final, crowd-pleasing number, "I'm Every Woman."
Fans, who came from as far away as Australia and arrived in line as early as 10 p.m. Monday, boisterously sang along with her.
While "Good Morning America" only planned to have Houston sing three songs, some fans were hoping to hear more from the songstress.
"I expected it to be longer. She couldn't sing. She was really damaged," said Joao Andrade, 28, of North Bergen, N.J. "I'm a little disappointed. I think she was brave to come out with no voice."
The crowd, though, was firmly behind Houston, whose alleged drug addiction and troubled marriage to Bobby Brown have overshadowed her musical career for nearly a decade.
They wore homemade T-shirts and carried glittery signs that proclaimed "Whitney We Love U." And when Houston emerged on stage, her hair in loose curls and wearing a sharp taupe dress, fans erupted and rushed toward her.
"We missed you Whitney!" one screamed. Her voice husky and her songs missing the high notes she was once known for, Houston belted out three cuts from her new album "I Look To You," and appeared to choke up during its emotional title ballad.
The crowd was moved along with her, wildly applauding during poignant lines like, "After all my strength is gone, in you I can be strong." Houston's apology before closing out the set made devoted fans love her even more.
"It brought tears to my eyes," said Raleigh Hatcher, 38, of Jersey City. "She's been through so much in her life. She's been working very hard, and it's a lot to do. And she's been doing it well."
Concert-goers applauded Houston for trying to recover from her fall from grace - from selling 170 million albums and recording iconic hits like "I Will Always Love You," to landing on the cover of "National Enquirer" surrounded by drug paraphernalia.
"Everyone falls down and everyone stumbles. It's how we pick it up and keep going," said Ky Davis, 32, of Plainfield, N.J., who showed up with pink roses.
More than a dozen people arrived Monday night to snag a spot in line for the concert. Calling the experience "Camp Whitney," they put out blankets and waited for the gates to open at 11 a.m. "I'd rather be too early than too late," said Jonny Beauchamp, 20, of Manhattan.
0 comments:
Post a Comment