Gold hot pants, a ring of fire and diva flair. Destiny's Child hadall that and more when the trio headlined MTV's TRL Tour Sunday atthe Tweeter Center.
The singers made a dramatic entrance from beneath a flame-litportion of the stage. Their hot pants and matching boots (the firstof several changes) were equally hot. Kicking the show off with"Independent Women Part I" (from Drew Barrymore's girl- power movie"Charlie's Angels,"), the young women showed off their vocal chops,curvy bodies and the best hair this side of Clairol.
MTV's first-ever TRL tour didn't make quite the impact the musicchannel was hoping for in the Chicago area. The Tweeter Center lawnwas entirely empty.
Apparently not everybody was ready for Destiny.
Unlike on their first two albums, all three members share leadvocal credits on their latest, "Survivor," which was co-written andco-produced by Beyonce Knowles. But make no mistake: Though she andKelly Rowland may have started the group, Knowles is the primarydestined child.
The trio knows it, too. The women recently appeared on the coverof Vibe magazine made up like vintage Supremes. Guess who got to beDiana Ross?
Not that she doesn't deserve the adulation, or the speciallydesigned frocks that subtly distinguish her from Rowland and thedulcet-voiced Michelle Williams. Tall, shapely and self-possessed,Knowles is a striking front woman who works the stage like a TinaTurner in training.
Backed by a five-man band and eight dancers--four of whom who hadthe word "Destiny" scrawled all over their briefs--Destiny's Childperformed a tight, 60-minute show. The hard rock intro was a fittingaccompaniment to "Bootylicious," which utilizes Stevie Nicks'powerful, throbbing guitar lick from "Edge of Seventeen." The womencan vamp it up like nobody's business in their rhinestone bras andpurple capris, but their strengths lie in their voices. Each onesings better than the next.
Tackling the Bee Gees' "Emotion," the women harmonized like angels(though none hit notes as high as the brothers Gibb did on thatnumber way back when). On "Say My Name," an empowering song in whichKnowles challenges her boyfriend to utter her name in front of hisnew woman, the soft lilts take on a fierce growl.
At times, they took advantage of their vocals to adverse results.An a cappella gospel medley of "You've Been So Good," "Now Behold theLamb" and "Jesus Loves Me" would have been more effective if they hadpared the musical gymnastics.
Of the five opening acts--Nelly, Eve, Dream, 3LW and City High--Nelly easily was a crowd favorite. Touring with his group St.Lunatics, the photogenic rapper got the young audience revved withself-described "Dirty South" cadences on tunes such as "E.I." and"Ride Wit Me."
During one number, the band members threw paper money into thecrowd. Even the little girl sitting behind me was bright enough tofigure out the bills were phony. But who cares? As she said, "It'snot real money, but it still came from Nelly."
Like most of the other bands on the bill, Nelly paid homage to afallen R&B star, asking the crowd to give "a peace sign up forAaliyah."
Jae-Ha Kim
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