T hough video postings of her recent performances in Australia have been less than flattering, Whitney Houston says her tour is going great — and she’s in great health.
Houston’s publicist, Kristen Foster, released a statement last week, saying: “Whitney is in great health and having a terrific time on her tour and with her fans.” She said more than 9,000 people attended Houston’s show in Brisbane and more than 12,000 were at Acer Arena in Sydney.
“Her fans were dancing and singing along with her and Whitney appreciates their support,” Foster said.
That view contrasts with news reports quoting disgruntled fans who complaining about the star’s voice and performance. Video snippets of Houston struggling to hit notes in concerts in Sydney and Brisbane have circulated widely on YouTube and other outlets.
The 46-year-old, who is one of pop’s all-time best-selling artists, staged a comeback last year with her first album in seven years, I Look to You.” It debuted at the top of the album charts.
During her hiatus from music, she battled drug addiction and ended a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown. But as she returned last year, she declared herself healthy and free from substance abuse.
This is Houston’s first tour in years. It started in February in South Korea and will take her to Europe until at least May.
Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Regina Spektor and many others contributed to a potent sonic cocktail that rocked Carnegie Hall at the 20th Annual Benefit Concert for Tibet House US, a non-profit organization charged with preserving Tibetan culture.
An avid fan of Tibetan art since his teen years, Pop says the world cannot afford to lose it.
“[Tibetans have] been getting kind of a bum deal for like 50, 60 years now ... sort of losing their spot on Earth,” said Pop.
Tibet is ruled by China. China insists Tibet has been part of its territory for four centuries and has governed the Himalayan region with an iron first since Communist troops took control there in 1951. But many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of their history and say Chinese rule and economic exploitation are eroding their traditional Buddhist culture.
Tibetans have been fighting for greater autonomy for years led by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Spektor, who was born in the former Soviet Union and later immigrated to the Bronx, said her familiarity with hardship makes her sensitive to the Tibetan people.
“I’m all about protecting people’s heritage,” she said. “Any place that is kind of in danger of losing their culture or being oppressed and not being able to practice their religion just feels to me very close.”
Traditional chants by monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery opened the Friday night concert. A highlight was a performance by 15-year-old Tenzin Kunsel, a Tibetan refugee who moved to the US in 2003. She performed a Tibetan aria, backed by the Patti Smith Band.
“It feels like I’m fitting right in,” Kunsel said. “It’s such an honor that I got a chance to perform with such amazing people.” Gogol Bordello, Pierce Turner and Jesse Smith — daughter of Patti — were also among the acts on the Carnegie stage. The lineup was curated by the event’s artistic director, noted composer Philip Glass. He also performed.
The Patti Smith Band helped close out the night with the punk classic Gloria. At the end of her set, she introduced a soon-to-be-shirtless Pop, who dived right into his 1970s hit, Passenger. The concert closed with a group performance of Smith’s People Have the Power — an apropos tune for a benefit — and the audience rose to their feet in an explosion of applause.
Turkey’s top pop singer Tarkan was detained by police during an anti-drug sting in Istanbul, Anatolia news agency reported Friday.
Tarkan was rounded up with nine others as security forces nabbed two suspected drug dealers after monitoring them for six months, the report said.
Police seized a small amount of hashish in Tarkan’s country home near Istanbul, it added.
The suspects were to be questioned by police and then by prosecutors, who will decide whether to release them or press charges.
Turkey’s most popular singer for more than a decade, Tarkan, 37, won international fame in the late 1990s, reaching the top of music charts in France and Germany with the catchy song Simarik (Spoiled).— Agencies
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