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The power of Whitney Houston's live performance - in service of a celebration of international freedom - will be chronicled in a new album and film release from Legacy Recordings.
The label, in collaboration with Houston's estate, will release The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) on November 8, a CD and double vinyl release chronicling Whitney's first of three concerts in South Africa in the fall of 1994 - just a few short months after the first democratic election was held in the country, marking an official end to the apartheid state that had gripped the nation and became a flashpoint for activist musicians less than a decade before. On November 8 of that year, at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, Houston and her band took the stage to perform some of her greatest hits, from the '80s chart-toppers "How Will I Know," "Greatest Love of All," "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" and "So Emotional" to the killer run of singles from her soundtrack to 1992's The Bodyguard: the Dolly Parton-penned "I Will Always Love You" - at the time, the longest-running No. 1 in American chart history - plus the Ashford & Simpson classic "I'm Every Woman" and the stirring "I Have Nothing."
The audio release - featuring highlights on the physical release and the full concert on digital streaming and download versions - is preceded by a concurrent limited theatrical screening of restored footage from the same set. It's the first time anything from the show has been released; HBO aired Houston's second show, taped at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg on November 12, for a concert special; portions were later released on 2014's Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances. The album closes with an unreleased studio version of "Love Is," a track performed at the South African concerts. (The digital version will include a second mix of "Love Is" by gospel singer Carvin Winans.)
The spring of 1994 marked one of the most historic events in African history: after years of cruel apartheid in the country of South Africa (which finally ended in the early 1990s), a fully representative democratic election was held for the first time. The winner was Nelson Mandela, the head of the African National Congress party and an internationally recognized figure, known for serving a 27-year prison sentence in conjunction with his anti-apartheid activism. (In 1988, two years before Mandela was freed, a 70th birthday tribute was held in his honor at London's Wembley Stadium, featuring performances by Houston, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Peter Gabriel, George Michael and a breakthrough set by Tracy Chapman.) Whitney, likely spurred by a wave of feelings she acted on in the '90s challenging critics' perception of her as a "safe" Black musician for white audiences, was the first Western performer to take the stage in the new, freer South Africa - and this album and film will serve as a reminder of her ability to command a stage in her prime.
The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) is released on November 8 and can be pre-ordered below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) (Arista/Legacy, 2024)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
+ denotes track exclusive to digital release
- Love's in Need of Love Today
- So Emotional
- Love Will Save the Day
- Saving All My Love for You
- I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
- How Will I Know
- Love Medley: I Love You / All At Once / Where You Are
- Lover for Life +
- Queen of the Night
- I Have Nothing
- Touch the World +
- Love Is
- Jesus Loves Me +
- Amazing Grace +
- Master Blaster (Jammin') +
- I Will Always Love You
- I'm Every Woman
- Greatest Love of All
- Home +
- Love Is (Studio Version)
- Love Is (Carvin Winans Remix) +
All tracks previously unreleased. Tracks 1-19 recorded live at Kings Park Stadium, Durban, South Africa - 11/8/1994
On the digital release, each song in "Love Medley" is individually indexed and "I'm Every Woman" is preceded by an intro track, for a total of 24 tracks
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Will the concert be on 4-K Super High Definition Blu-ray and D.V.D ?
I really hope that they will eventually release the entire concert on DVD/Blu-Ray/4K! Just came back from the screening – it is brilliantly restored (but thankfully no ghoulish AI enhancements, they even left the 4:3 ratio untouched) and mixed!
My personal favorite is not even on the CD, an encore of “Home” (which she had once done as her first national TV appearance), wonderfully matured and spellbinding here!
I don’t understand the release practice: It should be the older hard-boiled fans to still buy a physical CD, so why not charge them a premium but give them the /entire/ concert on 2 CDs?
I wish I had an answer for that. I have been baffled by this since the announcement. I can only guess - and I'd put this at a 20% chance of happening, maybe - that there will be a more complete edition, offering the material on the Record Store Day 12" single that doesn't appear anywhere else.
Wouldn’t that be nice! I also hope that they release the video physically. I’m very happy with the screened version, it’s beautifully restored and mixed, but nothing overdone. They even honored the original aspect ratio, which is absolutely the right choice. Musically, it’s in many instances much more interesting than the original studio versions – Rickey Minor, Bette Sussman etc. served Whitney very well at that time, and she inhabited those (frankly, sometimes mediocre) songs so intimately, artistically pulled everything that they had to offer, and then some.