Whitney Houston Tribute Tour
Ukrainians will be the first to hear the legendary singer’s songs performed with Houston appearing in 3D hologram, in Kyiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa
Narada Michael Walden, the four-time Grammy winner, world famous musician and close friend of Whitney Houston, will come to Ukraine to pay his tribute to the famous soul and rhythm-and-blues singer, film actress, and performer whose commercial success is not easily equaled, much less surpassed, by anybody in the music industry now as well as in the past. He shared the stage with rocker Mick Jagger, virtuoso guitarists John McLaughlin and Jeff Beck, co-produced soundtracks to 91/2 Weeks, The Bodyguard and License to Kill, as well as produced hit songs for such star performers as Mariah Carey, George Michael, Diana Ross, Barbara Streisand, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston.
Ukrainian singer Olena Shtefan, chosen by Walden himself, will be singing Houston’s hits live during the nationwide tour We Will Always Love You. Walden will join concert presenters in recalling Houston’s greatest creative achievements, while relevant photo collages and video clips will be shown on screen both during pauses and during the performance itself. By the way, Walden will play the percussion throughout the tour and sing a few songs created as a tribute to Houston, with one of them sung in a duet with Shtefan. The latter will perform a few tributes of her own, sometimes accompanying herself on a white piano, followed by 10 hits from Houston’s repertoire, sung with backing vocalists in a support role.
The concert’s organizers picture it as a real show with its participants including not just musicians and singers, but trapeze artists, too. The project’s special feature will be Houston herself, who will re-appear before Ukrainian audiences thanks to the latest technology of dynamic 3D-hologram.
Celebrate is her last song. It is a duet featuring her and Jordin Sparks who won a season of American Idol. This song is a soundtrack for Sparkle, a remake of the 1976 film of the same name.
Let us recall that Houston died in Los Angeles, where she arrived to attend the Grammy award ceremony, on February 11, 2012, aged 48. Her body was found in the bathtub of her hotel suite by service staff. The post-mortem revealed drowning due to a heart attack as the cause of death, with use of cocaine and other drugs named as contributing factors of her condition…
The concerts will be held in Kyiv on February 5 in the Freedom Concert Hall and on February 10 in the International Center of Culture and Arts (former October Palace), as well as in Donetsk on February 6, Dnipropetrovsk on February 8 and Odesa on February 9.
