Why someone in Whitney Houston's condition shouldn't be on stage

Whitney Houston has a problem. In fact, she seems to have a lot of problems. According to reports from Monday night's concert in Brisbane, Australia the singer was breathless, shambolic and out of control. The 46-year old – whose drug problems during her marriage to fellow musician Bobby Brown have been well-documented – struggled throughout her comeback show, much to fans' fury. One woman commented that Houston "can't sing, couldn't perform and was the worst act we've ever seen", sentiments echoed by many others. "She couldn't entertain a dead rat," was another comment.

Houston has a history of this kind of behaviour. When I reviewed her concert for the Guardian in 1999 she could barely sing, was hardly ever on stage and when she was, she missed notes and fell over. Still, that was when she was having "personal problems". This time, her tour manager defended her, asking fans to support the troubled diva in "difficult times".

"[She] is now up on stage, warts and all, presenting herself like an open book for the world to see and they want to ridicule Whitney. If they expected to hear the Whitney of 20 years ago, go buy a CD. If they want to see a true professional artist give 100%, well come along and enjoy the ride of an amazing talent, on stage, letting her heart and soul out for us all to enjoy."

Does he have a point? Age and ill-health takes its toll on our heroes, and this is bound to affect their performance. However, this does not necessarily mean they lose their appeal. Some, in fact, gain mystique as they mature. Johnny Cash's American recordings – particularly his mesmerising take on Nine Inch Nails' Hurt – featured some of his most astonishing material, the howls from the heart of a legend coming to terms with his mortality. Some years ago, I saw a 70-something Jerry Lee Lewis in Bradford. Sure, he didn't have the raw energy of his youth – instead, he had something else; a dark and even sinister gravitas. A true rock'n'roller, even in his old age.

However, there comes a point when seeing an artist in a bad state becomes a freak show, as anybody who has been to a gig by Pete Doherty or Amy Winehouse can attest. I remember seeing a ravaged Gil Scott-Heron play a few years ago and he was a husk of his former genius. Similarly, towards the end of his life James Brown could barely climb on stage; he should have been putting his feet up, not continuing to tread the boards.

I'm concerned about the Houston debacle because it sounds like a public breakdown. As long as fans buy tickets, there will be people making money out of her and pushing her on stage. But what do you think? Should the world hear tuneless renditions of I Will Always Love You or – for the sake of all concerned – should Houston not give another performance unless she can deliver something worthy of her name?

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