{"id":228098,"date":"2026-05-12T02:35:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T02:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/228098\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T02:35:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T02:35:47","slug":"an-evening-for-the-queens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/228098\/","title":{"rendered":"An evening for the queens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mother\u2019s Day ended on a high note Sunday night as \u201cThe Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage\u201d tour transformed Enterprise Center into a celebration of love, legacy and timeless music.<\/p>\n<p>The show was originally scheduled for earlier this year. But the Mother\u2019s Day makeup date felt serendipitous. Fans were given a fitting opportunity to honor the women in their lives while witnessing four iconic performers \u2014 Gladys Knight, Stephanie Mills, Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan, all of whom are mothers \u2014 share one stage for an unforgettable evening.<\/p>\n<p>The show drew generations of fans. There were daughters bonding with mothers over songs played throughout their childhoods. There were couples slow dancing to classics that once soundtracked their romances. Others simply came to reconnect with friends and relive the music of their youth. No matter the reason, the night delivered an emotional and electrifying experience.<\/p>\n<p>From smooth R&amp;B and soul to funk and gospel, each performer brought her own signature sound and commanding stage presence.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"624\" data-attachment-id=\"336176\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.stlamerican.com\/arts-and-entertainment\/living-it-arts-and-entertainment\/an-evening-for-the-queens\/attachment\/lgns_thequeensgksmplck26_psed-5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stlamerican.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-5-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C2048&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,2048\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark IV&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1778207597&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-5\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Gladys Knight headlined \u201cThe Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage\u201d tour at Enterprise Center that brought generations of fans together on Mother\u2019s Day.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stlamerican.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-5-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C624&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336176\"  \/>Gladys Knight headlined \u201cThe Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage\u201d tour at Enterprise Center that brought generations of fans together on Mother\u2019s Day. Credit: Photo by Barrett Delong<\/p>\n<p>Seven-time Grammy winner Knight opened the evening in a velvet pantsuit with a gospel-inspired set that immediately set a heartfelt tone. She began with Donnie McClurkin\u2019s \u201cStand,\u201d backed by soaring harmonies from her singers, before transitioning into \u201cTotal Praise.\u201d The performance felt equal parts testimony and warmup for the vocal marathon ahead. Knight closed her concise but powerful set with \u201cMidnight Train to Georgia\u201d as the stage glowed in bright orange light.<\/p>\n<p>Mills followed in dazzling fashion. She took the stage in a red sequined halter dress while her background singers matched in sparkling red jackets. The set carried extra emotional weight as she included her son, Farad Mills, in the performance. Midway through her set, Mills delivered a touching rendition of Boyz II Men\u2019s \u201cA Song for Mama.\u201d It was one of the evening\u2019s most fitting moments. As she tossed roses into the crowd, audience members sang to their mothers, wives and loved ones. The selection created an atmosphere filled with appreciation and nostalgia.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" data-attachment-id=\"336178\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.stlamerican.com\/arts-and-entertainment\/living-it-arts-and-entertainment\/an-evening-for-the-queens\/attachment\/lgns_thequeensgksmplck26_psed-17\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stlamerican.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-17-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark IV&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1778209588&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-17\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Stephanie Mills headlined \u201cThe Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage\u201d tour at Enterprise Center that brought generations of fans together on Mother\u2019s Day.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stlamerican.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-17-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336178\"  \/>Stephanie Mills headlined \u201cThe Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage\u201d tour at Enterprise Center that brought generations of fans together on Mother\u2019s Day. Credit: Photo by Barrett Delong<\/p>\n<p>She shifted gears with energetic performances of \u201cSomething in the Way (You Make Me Feel)\u201d and \u201cNever Knew Love Like This Before.\u201d Then she slowed things down with \u201cI Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love,\u201d which was written and originally performed by St. Louis\u2019 own Angela Winbush. The crowd erupted as Mills effortlessly hit towering high notes.<\/p>\n<p>Her background vocalists also had moments to shine, with standout vocalist Jason earning cheers from the audience during an impressive vocal run. Mills closed with \u201cHome\u201d from \u201cThe Wiz.\u201d Her finale \u2013 which she performed on Broadway as the original Dorothy for the Tony Award-winning original Broadway run \u2013 promoted emotional singalongs throughout the arena.<\/p>\n<p>The emotional momentum continued with LaBelle, who opened with \u201cLove, Need and Want You,\u201d a song especially beloved by St. Louis audiences. Wearing an elegant satin wrap dress with dramatic structure, LaBelle commanded attention from the moment she stepped into the spotlight.<\/p>\n<p>In true diva fashion, she kicked off her heels during \u201cThe Right Kinda Lover,\u201d revealing multiple colorful replacement pairs waiting atop the piano. She glided across the stage through \u201cOn My Own\u201d and \u201cSomebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is),\u201d turning the latter into a stunning vocal showcase filled with dramatic melodic wails.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"624\" data-attachment-id=\"336177\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.stlamerican.com\/arts-and-entertainment\/living-it-arts-and-entertainment\/an-evening-for-the-queens\/attachment\/lgns_thequeensgksmplck26_psed-61\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stlamerican.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-61-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C2048&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,2048\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark IV&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1778213203&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-61\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Patti LaBelle headlined \u201cThe Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage\u201d tour at Enterprise Center that brought generations of fans together on Mother\u2019s Day.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stlamerican.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-61-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C624&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LGNs_theQueensGKsmPLck26_psed-61.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336177\"  \/>Patti LaBelle headlined \u201cThe Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage\u201d tour at Enterprise Center that brought generations of fans together on Mother\u2019s Day. Credit: Photo by Barrett Delong<\/p>\n<p>LaBelle briefly exited the stage to welcome special guest Jeff Bradshaw, whose trombone rendition of Tevin Campbell\u2019s \u201cCan We Talk\u201d energized the crowd. She later returned in a black ensemble paired with a sleek blunt-cut bob wig to perform an emotionally charged \u201cIf Only You Knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She ended on a high-energy note with \u201cLady Marmalade,\u201d bringing fans to their feet for one last dance before exiting the stage.<\/p>\n<p>Closing the night was 11-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan, whose set immediately transformed the arena into a funk-filled party. Fans swayed from the opening notes of \u201cWe Can Work It Out\u201d and \u201cDo You Love What You Feel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Khan leaned fully into funk classics including \u201cYou Got the Love\u201d and \u201cTell Me Something Good,\u201d her unmistakable vocals cutting through the booming instrumentation. She then slowed things down with a soulful performance of \u201cThrough the Fire\u201d beneath deep red lighting. Audience members sang along so passionately that Khan repeated the song\u2019s bridge during an impromptu encore moment.<\/p>\n<p>The pinnacle of her set came with \u201cI\u2019m Every Woman,\u201d a fitting anthem for Mother\u2019s Day. Fans pumped their fists, danced in the aisles and shouted every lyric back to the stage in one of the night\u2019s most cinematic moments.<\/p>\n<p>Khan closed with \u201cAin\u2019t Nobody,\u201d playfully dancing and tossing her long red hair while proving her decades-old hits still carry the same infectious energy.<\/p>\n<p>The evening served as a celebration of the women who raised generations on these songs and the timeless music that continues to connect families decades later. For many fans inside Enterprise Center, there may not have been a better way to spend Mother\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n<p>Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"780\" data-attachment-id=\"323214\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.stlamerican.com\/?attachment_id=323214\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stlamerican.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ARPA_For_The_Arts_Logo_Black.png?fit=1500%2C1500&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1500\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ARPA_For_The_Arts_Logo_Black\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stlamerican.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ARPA_For_The_Arts_Logo_Black.png?fit=780%2C780&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ARPA_For_The_Arts_Logo_Black.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-323214\" style=\"width:130px;height:auto\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mother\u2019s Day ended on a high note Sunday night as \u201cThe Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage\u201d tour transformed&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228099,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-228098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}