PBS, Sony Music Vision, and Legacy Recordings, in partnership with The Estate of Whitney Houston and Primary Wave Music, have announced the broadcast of a special edition of Whitney Houston – The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban).
The film celebrates the 30th anniversary of Houston’s historic South Africa concert with a fully-remastered release on PBS stations beginning December 1. The never-before-televised concert from Durban, South Africa, has been remastered in 4K with remastered audio. The entire original concert film, released worldwide in nearly 1,000 theaters in more than 30 countries in October, will also be available for streaming with PBS Passport on December 1.
In 1994, Houston took the stage for a series of three concerts in South Africa, including at Kings Park Stadium in Durban on November 8, in Johannesburg on November 12 and in Cape Town on November 19, making her the first major Western recording artist to perform in the newly unified, post-apartheid nation following President Nelson Mandela’s historic election win. The three performances included a combined 200,000 plus attendees.
“Since the recent release of this concert film in theaters worldwide, there has been a growing demand to see the concert,” says Pat Houston, the executive producer of The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) and executor of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston. “Thirty years ago, Whitney, along with director Marty Callner and her longtime music director Rickey Minor helped to create a magical once-in-a-lifetime event. With the holiday season upon us, we join PBS and its audience in sharing this unique concert experience in their homes.” The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) is produced and directed by Marty Callner. It is a production of Cream Cheese Films.
Additionally, Legacy Recordings recently released Houston’s first live concert album, The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban), featuring music from the concert event.
The collection features three configurations with slightly different track listings on CD, vinyl, and digital for the first time. Also included in the CD and digital collection is the first-ever release of the studio single, “Love Is.”