*The Kia Forum in Inglewood CA, was the third stop for Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle and Stephanie Mills, aka, The Queens, a combined 20 Grammy Awards, as they make their way through a 20 city “The Queens: 4 Legends, 1 Stage” tour.
Although Gladys Knight is my all-time favorite singer, I had never seen her in concert, so I was looking forward to it. I also had never seen Chaka Khan, so I was curious.
I used to never miss a Patti Labelle concert, so I had good memories and was looking forward to making new ones. I saw Stephanie Mills earlier this year, so I knew I could depend on her to make it do what it do.
So, with my mother in tow, we made our way to the concert, settled into our floor seats and anxiously awaited witnessing the performances of four women who were musically some of the biggest parts of our history.
The concert started with a video of the four queens showcasing their illustrious careers. With so much firepower, I couldn’t wait to see the order of the performers.
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Gladys Knight was up first. She wore a beautiful red pantsuit, a sequined blouse, red shoes and diamond earrings. She looked great and can certainly put a polished look on her resume. She started her set with ‘Love Overboard’ and then ‘Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me.” She also added ‘Neither One of Us.,’ ‘I Heard it Through the Grapevine,’ ‘That’s What Friends are For,’ and finished up with ‘Midnight Train to Georgia.’ The audience showed their appreciation for an entertaining beginning to the evening. I realize Gladys has recently been ill and was probably not at full strength. Although she did a good job, she looked a little frail, and I couldn’t help regretting not seeing her perform earlier in her career.
Stephanie Mills was up next. She announced both her keyboards were down and her performance may need to be cancelled because they had a schedule to keep. Fortunately for her, and us, they got it together and the show went on. Stephanie’s son introduced her, and she came out in a strapless long, form-fitting black dress. She started with ‘What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin’ and then went into ‘You Put a Rush on Me,’ ‘Something in the Way You Make Me Feel.’ ‘I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love, ‘Never Knew Love Like This Before,’ and ended her set with ‘Home.’ Fifty years post The Wiz, and Stephanie is still a rock-solid performer.
Patti Labelle was third on stage and she was the true-to-form Patti that we know and love. Her hair and makeup were flawless. The blue pantsuit she wore was the perfect choice; she kept looking in her mirror and took off her shoes during the performance. Seeeee, vintage Patti. Her set included ‘New Attitude.’ ‘Love Need and Want You.’ ‘The Right Kind of Lover,’ and ’On My Own.’ There was also, ‘Feels Like Another One,’ ‘Isn’t it a Shame,’ ‘ My Love,’ and ‘Somebody Loves You.’ Patti even got real current with, ‘Boots on the Ground.’ Of course she had a fan. Her band played while she had a wardrobe change. She came back to the stage looking incredibly comfortable in a blue dress and pageboy wig. She finished her set with ‘If Only You Knew’ and “Lady Marmalade.’ Patti and her shenanigans were as entertaining as ever.
Chaka Khan was the closer, which I think actually surprised everyone in the Forum. It didn’t take long to figure out why she may have been picked to end the show, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Chaka’s black lace bodysuit and cape were pure Chaka; free and uninhibited. She performed an arsenal of songs, such as ‘I Feel for You,” “Do You Love What You Feel,’ ‘What You Gonna Do For Me,’ ‘Sweet Thing,’ ‘Through the Fire’ and ‘My Funny Valentine,’ which she did an amazing job on. After ‘I’m Every Woman’ she thought she was finished and then realized she had one more song, ‘Can’t Nobody.’ The highlight of Chaka Khan’s set, and a good reason for her to go last, was her surprise guest, Stevie Wonder, who came onstage to help her sing ‘Tell Me Something Good,’ which he wrote. Stevie was icing on a solid Chaka performance.
I loved that there were video montages for each of the queens, showcasing their long and storied careers. I realize many, if not most, concerts include singing to tracks, however, it was obvious all of them were singing to tracks, because the singer and the words were not in sync, sometimes the words were wrong and many times there was no attempt to sing the words, and it was more of an adlib. Even with that, I think the audience enjoyed the queens, especially since their background singers were off the hook, chain and hinges. Although they are no longer in their heyday, they can still put on a show. They were entertaining and worth seeing, if for no other reason than they are queens and deserving of their flowers while they can still smell them. I am glad I took in the show. If the queens are stopping in your city, check out this once in a lifetime event.
Marilyn Smith is a Los Angeles based writer/reviewer. Contact her via [email protected].
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