Triple Play: On farewell tour, Destiny’s Child more powerful as a group than solo

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Aug. 29, 2005 | 8:21 a.m.

Destiny's Child has announced plans to part ways for good at the end of their corrent tour, but judging from Friday's concert at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, the female R&B trio might want to reconsider.

The three women -- Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams -- performed individually at points during the two-hour set. But the near-sellout crowd of 8,451 responded most enthusiastically when Destiny's Child appeared in group formation.

Even Beyonce's solo megahits "Crazy in Love," "Baby Boy" and "Naughty Girl" couldn't match the impact of the trio's work together, be it older material such as "Survivor" and "Bootylicious" or current single "Cater 2 U."

More than a decade after a then-preteen Destiny's Child lost on TV talent show "Star Search," the trio have become its generation's answer to the Supremes, TLC and other respected female groups gone by.

The group, whose lineup coalesced when Michelle Williams joined holdovers Knowles and Rowland in 2000, sounds best when its three voices are harmonizing, as they were often throughout Friday's show.

"If," a cut off latest album "Destiny Fulfilled," best demonstrated the power of that three-part vocal blend. Although played toward the end of the night, the song rang with strength and feeling, no easy combination to attain in a cavernous arena setting.

Although Knowles is the unquestioned captain and assumed that role most often onstage, her co-stars were far from window dressing, with each woman taking frequent turns as lead vocalist. The 2004 track "Through With Love," in particular, provided the three singers with long stretches to showcase their individual talents.

Beyonce is the group's pop diva. During two solo stints, she gyrated amid male and female dancers as a five-piece band pumped out her fun-loving hits. "Crazy in Love" got kids out of their seats, but many adults appeared far less enamored with the ubiquitious good-time anthem.

Rowland brought a sultry, seductive presence to the stage for "Dilemma," a song originally recorded as a duet with rapper Nelly but surprisingly effective as a solo piece.

It was Williams, however, who delivered the night's most unexpected delight, gospel number "Do You Know." Although the somber song initially seemed a bit heavy for the preceedings, Williams soon won the audience over, forcefully belting out her message of faith.

As much as for its music, Destiny's Child is famous for its sychronized dance steps, and they brought plenty of those to Las Vegas. The trio often stood at center stage, moving in perfect symmetry as if they hadn't recently reunited after nearly four years apart.

As with most large production shows, however, frequent costume changes necessitated frequent time fillers between musical segments.

Video-screen footage stopped up a few gaps; the rest were loaded with dance routines.

The former were universally dull, while the latter occasionally crossed over from sexy to borderline obscene, as when one male performer dropped his pants and began thrusting his pelvis toward the crowd.

Also questionable was a long stretch midway through "Cater 2 U" that had the three Destiny's Child stars selecting one man apiece from the crowd, bringing him onstage and then bumping and grinding with him while most of the bored audience waited impatiently for the next tune to begin.

R&B heartthrob Mario, who celebrated his 20th birthday the day after the Vegas show, contributed a 30-minute set that drew plenty of female shrieks but accomplished little musically.

The young vocalist might want to invest in a band and backing vocalists, instead of the pumped-in music that backed him throughout and produced a distinctly un-spontaneous, recorded vibe.

Destiny's Child had no such issues. Their band was quite real, as was their hold over fans.

In an musical touring era that seems to value a reunion above almost all else, can it be long before Knowles, Rowland and Williams leave their solo dreams behind again to give their fans what they seem to want most?