May 2, 2014
A Tribe Called Quest. Beck. Al Green. Best Coast. Portishead. Hank Williams. M. Ward. Neil Young. Devendra Banhart. These are some of the artists you’ll find in my music collection, but the greatest love of all goes to Whitney Houston. Last Friday I attended the Whitney Houston tribute show at the Esplanade. The sell out crowd was, surprisingly, overwhelmingly made up of middle-aged women. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since my friends keep reminding me that I share so many of their tastes, such as my penchant for cheesy sentimental music and what I drive—a Smartcar, I might as well be one. I was pleased to see Mayor Clugston there as well. If he was there for the music he gained my admiration for being another male unafraid to show his love for Whitney. If he was there to court the powerful political block of middle-aged Whitney fans he is a savvy politician indeed and gains my respect again. The US has their Soccer Moms and Nascar Dads, Medicine Hat has the Whitney Bloc.
Belinda Davis as Whitney Houston
The Greatest Love of All—The Whitney Houston Tribute show was really great. Belinda Davids’ voice is incredible. It’s obvious the goal of the show is not simply to cover Houston’s songs, but to mimic them as closely as possible. From her outfits, to her hand movements, to the live band, to her voice inflections we were there for an impersonation and Davids does a masterful job. However, after the initial excitement of the beginning songs and after the show wore on it began to feel hollow.
Tribute bands are cheesy, which is why up to now I’ve never attended a tribute show. But they are also about fun. Their performance of classic songs is an homage. They’re just there to sing songs they and we love. It’s a glorified karaoke set. But after seeing the show I can’t help but feel that you can have your Michael Jackson and Elvis tributes, but let Whitney’s memory rest in peace.
There is something comic about a tribute show, but Whitney isn’t a comic figure. She is a tragic one – a transcendent talent who lived a fragile life. Her songs, catchy (and kitschy) as they may be, are invariably about loss and survival. It was therefore sad to hear those songs and listen to the lyrics knowing that the original had lost her struggle. When Davids finally sang ‘I Will Always Love You’ the lyrics took on new meaning. “Bittersweet memories that is all I'm taking with me.” It hit very close to home.
Perhaps in time a Whitney impersonator will more resemble an Elvis one – we’ll forget the tragic figure and can concentrate on the fun of their music, but two years is too little time to forget. That’s not enough distance to start memorializing her with tribute bands. As talented as Davids’ performance was, it is sadly only a painful reminder of the real thing.
Medicine Hat News. May 2014.