It's not unusual these days for an act as popular as Destiny's Child to sashay
into town on a tour sponsored by a hamburger chain.What is disturbing is the idea of such a show being reflected in said chain's menu. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Destiny's Child value meal: a heap of Beyonce-centric nuggets with a side order of Kelly and a small Michelle.
The American divas make the expected dramatic, pose-heavy entrance under avalanches of curls in the first of a series of tight, glittering outfits, Beyonce Knowles having to bellow Say My Name over the largely female teenage screams. A mini-greatest hits follows with more textbook examples of hot, modern R&B, from the sassy staccato funk of Independent Woman Part I to a teasingly short but still magnificent Bootylicious.
It was around this point at Destiny's Child's 2002 show that the thrilling opening deteriorated into the tedious interchangeable ballad filler that's designed purely for vocal showing off. But since that last tour, Kelly Rowland and the unstoppable Knowles have made a formidable impact with their solo projects worldwide, while Michelle Williams has satisfied the niche gospel market.
So, even though the current Destiny Fulfilled "reunion" album has plenty of new forgettable ballads, we're thankfully spared most of them in favour of individual showcases in which each member gets to bust a lung performing the cream of their solo efforts. Rowland grapples with the limelight during Stole and the Grammy-winning Dilemma, as does Williams on, er, one of hers.
No prizes for guessing who's most comfortable, and memorable, centre-stage, though. They're all gifted singers, but Knowles has the X-factor in such quantities it'd make grown TV executives weep to even think they might find something close on some sorry talent quest. When it eventually arrives, Knowles's Crazy in Love is not only a shameless celebration of the female behind, it's an explosive example of pop music at its most unarguably brilliant.
What you get, in the end, is the best of Destiny's Child, solo and as a unit. Now that's what I call a value meal.