Whitney Houston hologram tour branded a ‘mind-f***’ that inspires ‘overwhelming guilt’
‘Has everyone gone mad?’ one critic wrote
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Your support makes all the difference.The first night of the controversial Whitney Houston hologram tour has led to fans speaking of feeling “overwhelming guilt” after watching the show.
An Evening with Whitney sees the late star, who died in 2012, resurrected in holographic form to perform her hits. The tour kicked off in Sheffield last night (25 February), and will continue across the UK until the end of March. The hologram will then travel across Europe.
Fans who experienced the Sheffield show have had mixed reactions to the gig, with one tweeting: “I had this overwhelming feeling of guilt whilst watching it at times because it’s a very strange thing.”
The fan, who called the show “a mind-f***”, added that the technology used to recreate the star was convincing, but only “if you’re sitting quite far back”.
Critics have also expressed doubts about the show. In the Daily Mail, Jan Moir called the hologram “a plasticised dolly”, remarking that it waved its arms “as if communicating in sign language with some invisible ducks”.
After witnessing a number of fans dancing in the aisles to the hologram’s rendition of Houston hit “I Have Nothing”, Moir remarked: “Has everyone gone mad?”
In The Mirror, critic Alun Palmer wrote: “In life, Whitney Houston was exploited by everyone around her. So why should passing to the great beyond make any difference when there is money still to be made?”
The show sees Houston’s hologram reacting occasionally to virtual cries of affection from the audience, along with producing a handkerchief from her pocket to mop the holographic sweat from her holographic brow.
The tour was set in motion by Houston’s sister-in-law Pat, who currently serves as the head of the late star’s estate. It has also been beset with controversy since it was first announced, with Houston’s cousin Dionne Warwick saying she was “very annoyed” by the hologram, adding: “It just can’t happen. It just can’t.”
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