If there ever was a time that Destiny's Child was more than just a vehicle for
the immense talents of Beyonce Knowles, that time has passed. Destiny's Child has launched a farewell tour at a relatively early stage of its pop music life. The tour came to Mohegan Sun Arena Wednesday night and the vocal trio laid out a bombastic one-hour, 40-minute set in the sold-out venue.
Beyonce is the brilliant star at the center of the Destiny's Child universe. While her partners Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams are extremely talented, Beyonce just doesn't need them. She could have carried the show by herself.
The women appeared on stage after the video marquee showed clips of their magazine covers and music videos and opened with "Say My Name."
When the dance troupe arrived during "Independent Women" they all got lost in a sea of sequins and lace.
The group followed up with their 1997 hit "No No No," and worked over a brief but satisfying rendition of "Bootylicious."
The male dancers came out for a showcase during "Soldier," with each of the six soloing before the women returned to the stage to finish out the song.
It became blatantly obvious that Beyonce was the main attraction when the women broke off for solo renditions of their own material.
Rowland was strong, and worked the crowd well with her song "Dilemma," and Williams hit amazing vocal heights with her gospel song "Do You Know."
But when Beyonce hit the stage, the room exploded.
She was given the full use of the production elements with a moving staircase and all 10 dancers as she tore through "Baby Boy." She was also afforded the time to work up a second song, "Naughty Girl."
Rowland and Williams rejoined Beyonce for the ballad "Cater To You," and each of the women brought up a male member of the audience and "catered" to the men with a seductive dance.
Rowland soloed again, offering "Bad Habit," before clearing the stage for Beyonce's vocal acrobatics on "Dangerously in Love," and a show-stopping version of "Crazy." Beyonce moved like Tina Turner, her professional dance-troupe working overtime to keep in step.
The trio was reunited one final time for "Survivor," and confetti canons sprayed the room during the song to add to the festive mood. Destiny's Child returned to encore with "Lose My Breath."