There's still plenty of gal-pal-ling around among the women of Destiny's Child,
like when Beyoncé Knowles pulls up Michelle Williams' jeans after they
slid a little too low in all the cavorting during the onstage downpour that
closes "Lose My Breath." Now, that's friendship.But when it comes to performing together, Knowles, Williams and Kelly Rowland seem more than ready for this final tour as Destiny's Child to be over. They don't sing much like a girl group these days, more like a group of girls.
So it's no surprise that their solo turns dominated their 110-minute set - as Williams sang a gospel number, Rowland delivered her solo hits, including the No. 1 "Dilemma." and Knowles rolled through a string of her chart-toppers that included a show-stopping, one-two punch of the ballad "Dangerously in Love" and the booty-quaking "Crazy in Love."
Each of them excelled in their solo numbers - with Rowland showing a better command of the stage and Williams offering a better command of her powerful voice. And all three will, no doubt, enjoy solo successes.
Unfortunately, in all the excitement of looking forward to the next steps in their careers, the Destiny's Child ladies aren't spending much time looking back at what they accomplished. Many of their early hits were dismissed with little more than a verse and a chorus, meaning they spent less time on No. 1's such as "Bootylicious," "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Jumpin' Jumpin'" than they did on Knowles' elaborate entrance on "Baby Boy."
They did spend some quality time with the hits from last year's "Destiny Fulfilled" album, especially "Cater 2 U," where the trio picks men from the audience to, uh, serenade onstage, and their "Sex and the City"-styled anthem "Girl." "Soldier" was the biggest production of the night, featuring some strong, military-inspired dancing.
But those songs, like "Lose My Breath," were mini-versions of the concert, with each of the members getting their solo time before they all got back together on the chorus. In honor of their final tour, Destiny's Child could better have spent more of their show paying tribute to the intricate harmonies and rapid-fire singing that has inspired a generation of singers.
It was part of a time-management problem that ran throughout the evening. After all, opener Amerie has two albums and a handful of hits, yet she had to pad out her 20-minute set with dance breaks and costume changes. Considering how well "1 Thing" and the medley of "Touch" and Mary Jane Girls' "Nasty Girl" worked out, it's too bad Amerie didn't spend more time singing. Mario had the same problem with his 30-minute set, which focused less on singing his hits such as "Let Me Love You" than props such as a synthesizer that wasn't plugged into anything, and a dancer who stripped down to her bra and panties.