Posted on 11/15/2007 11:11:23 AM PST by 300magnum
LONDON (AFP) - Troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse kicked off her 17-date tour with a shambolic performance that saw fuming fans booing and marching out, reports said Thursday.
The concert at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, was a chance for the 24-year-old to get back to singing and put her woes behind her.
Winehouse has had "health issues" -- widely reported to be drug and alcohol abuse -- and her party-loving husband Blake Fielder-Civil is being held on grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice charges.
But Wednesday's gig at the NIA, which can hold up to 13,000 people, was slammed by angry fans as a "disgrace" after she turned up late and stumbled about the stage.
When punters started jeering, Winehouse snapped: "Let me tell you something. First of all, if you're booing, you're a mug for buying a ticket.
"Second, to all those booing, just wait till my husband gets out of incarceration -- and I mean that."
The Birmingham Mail newspaper's music critic Andy Coleman said it was "one of the saddest nights of my life".
"I saw a supremely talented artist reduced to tears, stumbling around the stage and, unforgivably, swearing at the audience," he wrote.
James Dyas demanded his money back, according to London's Evening Standard newspaper.
"She came on stage half an hour late. She managed four songs but was slurring her words and swaying all over the place," he said.
"She fell into the guitar stand and dropped the microphone -- it was atrocious. The song dedicated to her husband was so bad it was like swinging a cat round your head."
An, from Birmingham, commented on The Times newspaper's website: "Her singing was awful, out of tune and slurred. She sang for around 50 minutes -- drinking throughout.
"I have never seen so many people leave a show. 'Valerie' was my favourite song -- she massacred it!"
Pete Massera, from north-west England, added: "It was an absolutely atrocious gig. I, like many others in the audience, got our coats and left before she even finished the set."
Gary Atwell, from nearby Rugby, said "streams" of fans walked out, according to the BBC website.
"I went out for a sneaky cigarette half way through and at least 40 people left, just in that five minutes," he said.
"Valerie", the closing number, descended into chaos when Winehouse stopped singing, dropped the microphone and walked off stage.
Winehouse, named best British female solo artist at the Brit Awards in February, has rarely been out of the newspapers in recent months due to her lifestyle issues.
Who?
REHAB......Ping!!
No, no, no...
LOL!
Someone here must be a fan. She seems like a troubled nonentity to me.
Her music is highly enjoyable.
Skank and rank.
Guilty!
Ugh! She has the figure of a teenage boy. Yuck!
How does she not realize what a train wreck she has become.
She was curvier before the drugs...
She has a voice made for radio. Unfortunately, she also has a face and body made for radio.
I hope she turns herself around—she’s got amazing talent, and she’s throwing it all away.
}:-)4
Good lord! Where did her body go?-—
You’re in trouble when your knees are the biggest part of your legs.
Yea, the drugs and she also looks like she gave up food.
Uff da!
Whoa...you know, I don’t think I’d ever seen a “before” shot of this gal. That’s just...sad!
I’d say maybe she needs to hit rock bottom before she realizes she needs to clean up her act, but it seems like she’s been crawling on the rock bottom for months now. So I dunno.
really very sad.....booze and drugs and not much food.
Oh well,
with my luck, if I tried it, I’d gain 50 pounds.
or teeth fall out....aka meth mouth....
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