I’ve been listening, for a couple of months at least, to Whitney Houston and Kygo’s cover of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love.” It’s a poppy little tune that doesn’t seem to have outlived its shelf life, and I didn’t give it much thought when I first heard it, although it has become her latest hit — almost eight years after her death. Can you believe she died way back in 2012?
Listen, I was a Whitney Houston fan. I can’t say I was a huge fan, but I was a big enough one to travel down to what was then called Great Woods to see her in concert a whole lifetime ago. She was pitch perfect that day, and unbelievably beautiful, first shrouding herself in a flowing wrap, and then eventually shedding it to show off her slim, newly postpartum form.
She was wonderful to listen to, but not particularly warm. She was there to do her job, sing soulfully, and deliver her angelic vocals to the masses.
I’ve also seen Patti LaBelle in concert, and much later in her life, Aretha Franklin. They all delivered their own special kind of energy. The Queen of Soul was awesome, and her library was so large that I had forgotten her soulful piano solos until she sat down to play. And I was reminded of some of the greatest love songs I grew up with, although many in the audience were furious that she left without playing her signature song, Respect.
Ms. LaBelle reached out and connected to the audience in a way that made you want to be her friend. She emotes like a great auntie who comes to your house and makes the whole place come alive. She is that person who brings the party wherever she goes.
Whitney, you loved her voice, but she didn’t seem to give off those same sister/friend vibes.
I’ve been thinking a lot about all of this because of two things: the soon-to-be touring hologram of Whitney Houston, which seems a little cringe-y to me; and the coronavirus, which is making us more than a little agoraphobic.
There are hundreds of musicians out there touring. Few things compare to live concerts, theater, and sporting events. Anyone who has ever performed for an audience knows how much the energy from the crowd fuels your own enthusiasm and motivation.
I’m not sure I want the experience of going to a concert in which the main attraction is a hologram, backed up by real-life singers and band members, no matter how true to life it is. I may not have thought Whitney showed much warmth, but she was definitely warmer than this.
And yet, with the fear and panic rising daily over the coronavirus, we may be headed toward more virtual entertainment than we’ve ever imagined.
Concerts, conventions, and congregations (oh my!) are already starting to weigh the pros and cons of people sheltering in place. Institutions of higher learning are looking to go online for the rest of the semester (pity the disadvantaged student without access to a home computer or wifi), students studying abroad were sent packing without any knowledge of how they would make up their studies, or be reimbursed for their travels; sports teams are looking at how they can play to empty stadiums; the travel industry is taking a big hit right now, including hotels, planes, trains, and automobiles (has your commute been noticeably easier, or is it just me?), while we all worry about how to handle this pandemic and still go about our lives without acting as though our next breath may be our last.
And the misinformation is flying around, fast and furious. Store shelves laid bare of cleaning supplies, hand sanitizers, gloves, masks, disinfectant sprays are everywhere on your local news station and home remedies (stop gargling with bleach, please), are flooding the internet.
Stop. Just stop panicking. Stop shopping for hazmat gear. Stay home if you’re sick (like you should be doing if you have the flu, or the common cold) and stop hoarding masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.
While we figure out just how serious this is, let’s put the brakes on getting our information from the people who know less than we do. There is a World Health Organization out there, folks. Before we decide that the rest of our lives are going to be lived inside, with our only entertainment virtual holograms, take a minute. This too, will pass. This is a virus, and it is fast spreading. But the number of casualties from this particular illness is lower than the number of people who die from the flu. Because we are social beings, we will spread colds, flus and viruses, some more quickly and seriously than others. But misinformation will only make it worse. This does not have to be our new normal.
It is my fervent hope that in a few months, we will become less fearful, less isolated, and more informed. And we can get back to deciding whether to see real, live entertainment, or shell out a few bucks for a hologram of someone who is still making hit music eight years after her death.
In the meantime, wash your hands.
