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THE EUROPEAN TOUR 1998
REVIEW
Review By Anne Laure - Paris, France, 6 July 1998
Hi Manish, Okay I'm back :-) I had a great time in
Paris, just one week but everything was so fantastic because of the world cup period,
there was such a happy mood I've never seen that before :-)
The week started by the concert on Monday 6th, it's a shame that it was too early because
if she'd did it one week later, I could have seen the final match in Paris and we could
have taken advantage of more things in Disneyland Paris but anyway ... it was fantastic !
Just after the show, my bros and I couldn't even remember the songs she sang but after all
came back to us and I have to say that my brother fell in love with her ... :-) He
couldn't stop saying " wow ! she's gorgeous ! "
I went in Paris with my parents and my brother, the 6th of July was just my brother's
birthday and as my parents had offered us the concert tickets, we did the same for them.
When we arrived in the front of Bercy, we were very surprised to see so few people
waiting. It was already a little late, I think we arrived around 1 PM but there were only
around 10 persons, so, we had enough time to go to eat and we even tried to visit the new
giant bibliotheque of France which is just on the other shore of Bercy but it was closed
so we came back at 3 PM and my brother and I finally waited with the other 20 persons
while my parents continued to visit the surroundings because they didn't want to go in the
standing crowd. Quickly many other people arrived and we were happy to have taken the good
decision to wait. Then they opened the doors and everything was okay ... we succeeded to
reach the third row. It was perfect but the problem was that at the first row, there were
ONLY boys ... tall boys ! and not one girl ! It was the first time I came in Bercy but I
must confess that I imagined it much bigger.
The supporting act was okay, but a little slow to wake up the crowd ... Before Whitney
finally was ready to arrive on stage, they showed many images on the two screens which
they had the intelligence to hang high enough for once ( they use to always hang them so
low ! ) Then the music of " I'm Every Woman " ( I hope I'm not wrong ) came but
we couldn't see Whitney during a moment, then she finally arrived in a very beautiful
beige dress. I was afraid during all the supporting act because I couldn't see nothing,
but finally I saw her perfectly and she was so beautiful ! The crowd was crazy. Then she
sang her other songs which I have no idea of the order. I just know that there were many
songs that I was expecting and that she didn't sing unfortunately. I also remember when
you told me that Whitney speak a long time with her public between the songs and it's true
... I've never seen a singer speak such a long time :-) She said that it was about 5 years
that she didn't came in Paris, she was sorry about that because she said we were the best
audience ( don't they all say that in every countries ? ), but she explained all she did
during those 5 years, her movies ... then she said that she loved Paris very much and that
she'll come back to give 3 concerts soon ( I hope not only in Paris ). Then she went on,
she sang many fast songs during that concert, I think she sang more fast songs than slow
songs which surprised my mother because she thought she only had slows. And the crowd was
really fantastic ! I found them great ! They moved, danced and sang and Whitney was very
impressed to see that, so was I !
I must add that it wasn't a sold out concert, the same day, it remained 800 places and
when we were in the hotel the day before, we said to the proprietress that we came to see
Whitney Houston, she didn't even know that she'd give a concert and was sorry because she
would have liked to go, so she finally found a place and thanked us very much to have
informing her for that concert :-) To go on, one funny thing happened when she was sitted
on a chair, I don't know which song she was singing but she was talking about her first
night ... then I think I have heard a guy in the crowd screamed " It was when ?
" or something like that, but anyway, it made Whitney laugh :-) It's true that she
was really close and very attentive to what we said to her, she answered and laughed. At
one moment ( this is my brother who told me that because I haven't heard that ) during the
song " Nobody loves me like you do ", he told me that she said to us " no,
I have to say that nobody loves me like my husband because it's something precious ...
" One other funny and sweet moment, I think it was during the song " I Wanna
Dance With Somebody " ( I'm sorry I can't remember ) when her little daughter came to
dance, she was so cute, then came 2 other little girls, I think she said it was her nieces
:-) Then came the break when her brother ( who did the chorus ) sang " Change The
World " of Eric Clapton, and Whitney came back in a red suit singing the Diana Ross'
hits " I'm Coming Out " " Ain't No Mountain High Enough " and "
Endless Love " in duet with her brother. I was surprised that she sang those songs
that I love, the problem is that not many people knew them. She talked about Diana Ross
... Then came the gospel part " I Go To The Rock " and " I Love The Lord
" with a long speech about God, she said that he saved her etc and I have to say that
I understand totally her faith, but if those kind of speeches pass well in the US where
people are very believers, in France it's not the same, they rather keep it for themselves
and it seems a little hum ... shocking to preach like that. I don't know how to say but
it's not the same. There is another thing, it's that not everybody know English ... and
during her long speeches she could think about that, that not everybody understand what
she says. I personally understood and I think it was the case of many people in the first
rows ( unless they pretended it ) and it was a good thing that everybody was quiet as soon
as she spoke because usually, when singers talk to us, everybody scream so loud that you
can't even hear what they say ! but there no, they were intelligent and we could hear her
perfectly. It was not at all the case of my parents which were in the back of the seats
and who understood nothing of what she said, they didn't understand why everybody laughed
:-) I think the last song was " I Will Always Love You " until the curtain call.
There she said that she'll come back and that she'll always love us, and what was great,
it was just before her last sentence in the song, she stopped everything and said "
By the way, I wish you the best luck for the World Cup " :-) there everybody screamed
and she understood that those were the perfect words to say this time around to be
ovationed ... and it seems that her wishes have worked :-)
She left, I was wondering if she'd come back, I didn't really believe but kept hope and
she came back hopefully in blue jeans with her baby girl on the back and sang " Step
By Step " while her daughter waved towards us to say goodbye. That's all ... it was a
wonderful moment ! However, if I'd have some critics to make, it would be :
* The first one is that, I personally think it was too short. The concert lasted 1h30 and
I think she could have added so many other songs ! ... there were MANY songs which missed
and that is the second point.
* Our first deception with my brother is that we were expected too many songs ( especially
my brother ) that she didn't sing and which were so obvious to be sung : where are the
"How Will I Know" "All At Once" "Greatest Love Of All"
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" "I'm Your Baby Tonight"
"Anymore" "Miracle" "I Have Nothing" "Exhale"
"I Believe In You And Me" ... I know that make a lot, but those were really the
ones we expected and I think they would have been better than the ones she sang when she
was sitted.
Okay, I know that in every concerts, there are always songs that you wanted to hear and
that they can't sing everything, but in this concert, I think there are a lot and that's a
pity. However, I know that for her fans, it's good to hear songs that she never sang live
before, but for someone whom which it's the first concert, you always expect the best and
the more famous songs and it's disappointing. Moreover, I honestly thought that it'd be a
" best of " concert as she didn't have any album released, it was what I had
understood.
* The third point is about the clothes, I would have loved to see her in many clothes but
that's not very important, her first dress was wonderful. Voila, those last critics are
not to criticize Whitney because I really loved the concert and enjoy myself and all the
other are good points for her ... :-)
Anne Laure.
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© 1999 Manish
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