British singer Amy Winehouse's personal troubles spilled into her stage performance Wednesday night, sparking fans to boo her and then leave the kickoff show of her new U.K. tour.
According to reports in British media Thursday, a host of audience members stormed out of the 24-year-old soul singer's concert in Birmingham, slamming her poor performance.
One fan told the BBC that "streams" of fans walked out on the acclaimed, emotionally raw singer during a concert some dubbed "shambolic."
Others reported to newspapers and on online message boards that Winehouse showed up late, appeared intoxicated, stumbled around on stage, wept throughout the night and sang poorly overall — including the songs she modified or dedicated to honour her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.
Fielder-Civil is being held by British authorities after being arrested last week in conjunction with an assault case. He stands charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.
When her performance met with some audience boos, Winehouse reportedly swore at the concertgoers and jeered "just wait till my husband gets out of incarceration."
The concert was "one of the saddest nights of my life," according to Birmingham Mail music critic Andy Coleman.
"I saw a supremely talented artist reduced to tears, stumbling around the stage and, unforgivably, swearing at the audience," he wrote.
Fans also said Winehouse ended the night by dropping her microphone and suddenly stalking offstage while in the midst of her closing number, Valerie.
Still, devoted fans have laid the blame on concert promoters and are calling for Winehouse to postpone her tour until she is healthy, focused and back in top form.
Winehouse, whose accolades include massive sales and a host of trophies for her chart-topping album Back to Black, has had a tumultuous year.
British and international media have been flooded with stories about her stints in rehab, cancelled concerts and tours, public fights as well as members of her family calling for the singer and Fielder-Civil to seek help for drug and alcohol abuse.
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Contact Us About Us HomeTuesday, January 6th, 2009