Disco legend Donna Summers was remembered at the 2012 VH1 Divas Live concert with a medley of her greatest hits. Having the honour of performing said classics fell to Divas Kelly Rowland, Keri Hilson and -honorary diva- Adam Lambert.
The tribute was opened by Destiny's Child alumni Kelly Rowland, and though she may have been present and accounted for during "Bad Girls", her voice certainly was not. I've never heard her sound this bad. Her runs were off, she was out of time in places, and her voice was missing the power and the flexibility that she demonstrated during her Mariah Carey tribute back in February [here]. I have no idea what was going on here, but when Keri Hilson sounds better than you, you've got a problem.
Next up was (afore mentioned) Kerri Hilson singing ( my theme tune) "She Works Hard For The Money". Before we get into that, what was up with the campness? Yes, Donna Summer was a gay icon, but she was much bigger than that. The men dancing in silver tinfoil was just tacky and cheap. But back to Keri, her vocals were also weak (in power), and nowhere near that of the great Donna Summer, but I wasn't expecting much from her. At least she was in tune and her delivery was pleasant.
Last to the hit the stage was the ever-flamboyant Adam Lambert and his take on "Hot Stuff". As well as bringing more men in tight clothing to the party, he was the only one who brought the vocals. It wasn't the best rendition of the song, but it was practically life giving when compared to what the other two were serving.
The trio then combined their powers for "Last Dance", and it just so happens Adam Lambert wasn't done schooling his fellow Divas, hitting an incredibly F5 at 4.42. The same note Donna herself hit! But it couldn't save the tribute, and overall the lack of chemistry between the singers, the shambolic staging, and the less than stellar line-up made this a disappointing tribute to a great lady.
Note to Kelly Rowland: we all know about the beef between your girl Beyonce and Keri Hilson but you should have put that aside in memory of Donna Summer. Not only were your vocals bad-in fact the worst out of the trio- but you came off a clown with your attempts at shading her. Keep it professional next time.
