Whitney Houston concert a near-disaster in London, fans left disappointed

Whitney Houston, seen here in concert at Sydney's Acer Arena, left her fans in London wanting more. Picture: Noel Kessel Source: The Daily Telegraph

Whitney Houston in concert at The Brisbane Entertainment Centre / Adam Smith Source: news.com.au

 
WHITNEY Houston's fans will always love her, but more of them have been left disappointed by her poor London show, where even the star admitted defeat.

20,000 fans filled London's 02 arena to hear the diva perform in her first concert in the city for 11 years.
Houston was obviously having trouble hitting the high notes, and eventually abandoned one of her big anthems, The Greatest Love of All, after a couple of verses.

Her audience had been keeping an open mind after reports from the Birmingham leg of the tour, where Houston's respiratory infection had caused her vocals to be creaky, and she'd suffered a series of technical glitches.
Fans waited with baited breath for the show-stopper I Will Always Love You, but Houston was not able to manage a Hollywood ending, instead stumbling through it, and eventually telling the audience, "she don't want to come, my soprano friend."

She added, "Sometimes the old girl sings, but not tonight. I want to do it, but she doesn't want to... she's getting a little... temperamental, even."
Her backing singers were left to carry the can for much of the concert, while Houston paused and panted for breath.

The singer, whose comeback has been much heralded following her divorce from Bobby Brown and recovery from drug addiction, was not looking as groomed as she has recently, but appeared rather bloated.

Some fans demanded their money back, which doesn't bode well for the London leg of the tour, with Houston scheduled to complete two further concerts.