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By Tanya Bell / The Gazette A genuine diva commands attention, always looks impeccable, exhibits grace and never lets you see her perspire. Whitney Houston holds a platinum card in the diva club. Not only did she give audiences a nearly two-hour show at Denver’s Fiddlers Green on Monday night, she proved she is an entertainer headed for legendary status. The usually stiff Houston let loose on a few dance moves, keeping up with her four female dancers — but not too much. After all, divas must maintain a cool, suave presence. Her heavily hyped Dolce & Gabbana tour couture was flashy and sassy. Her first outfit featured a floor-length fuschia and black cape with 3/4-length sleeves, black bustier and pink, blue, gold and silver satin capri pants. Never once did she step on her cape — she flung it with grace. Houston opened with songs from her new album, "My Love is Your Love," with "Get It Back," "Heartbreak Hotel" and "If I Told You That." Houston does not merely sing a song. As they say in the South, "That girl can SANG." She meticulously freed each note from deep in her trained throat, never cracking or sounding shrill. She poked fun at the Colorado altitude throughout the show, singing the chorus to John Denver’s "Rocky Mountain High," stressing the "high." "How do you breathe up in here?" she asked. However, she didn’t have to continually run off stage, as many singers do, presumably to inhale oxygen. Instead, she stood toward the rear of the stage, turned her back, dabbed her face and took deep breaths. Her band played softly until she was ready to hit a few notes. These breaks lasted only a few seconds. Houston also performed songs that launched her career, including her first single, "You Give Good Love," and "Saving All My Love," the movie soundtrack song "Exhale (Shoop, Shoop)" and the new and unreleased "I Learned From the Best." She took a break backstage while her brother Gary sang Eric Clapton’s "If I Could Change the World," and re-emerged in another fabulous outfit: a black sequined knee-length jacket, sky-blue capris with coral flowers and a silky black mock turtleneck. Houston sang a few gospel numbers that were spine-chilling. She brought people to their feet, raising their arms in praise. Even though Houston put on a nearly flawless show, her tickets should not have been $70 and $95. For that kind of dough, she should personally have shaken everyone’s hands as they entered the venue. I haven’t found an act yet truly worth that kind of money. She sold about three-fourths of the 8,000 available reserved seats (no lawn seats were sold for the show; Houston wanted a more intimate crowd). Yes, this woman is phenomenal in her singing abilities — she brought the woman next me to tears with her final song, "I Will Always Love You." But many of her fans missed out on a great performance merely because of the steep ticket prices. This is a definite diva downfall. Opening act 112, an Atlanta-based R&B quartet, put on a strong performance, proving their voices transcend the studio. Songs included "Only You," "Cupid" and "Anywhere."
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