{"id":229491,"date":"2026-05-13T02:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T02:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/229491\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T02:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T02:45:08","slug":"fort-worth-sings-along-with-the-divas-of-soul-and-rb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/229491\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth Sings Along With The Divas of Soul and R&B"},"content":{"rendered":"

When The Queens: 4 Legends, 1 Stage Tour featuring Gladys Knight, Stephanie Mills, Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan<\/a>, touched down in Fort Worth over the weekend, the four groundbreaking singers\u2019 showmanship on the Dickies Arena stage proved why they\u2019ll continue to reign supreme for generations to come.<\/p>\n

Each headliner shattered glass ceilings for women and Black musicians by disrupting the music industry and achieving mainstream success throughout their respective careers. The nostalgic tour was originally scheduled to come through town in February, but the night of soul, R&B, fun, disco, pop and rock was well worth the wait <\/a>for patient fans. The way they transported the crowd back to the \u201960s, \u201970s, and \u201980s, through their classics, was enough to make up for lost time.<\/p>\n

A Good Night for Gladys Knight<\/p>\n

The show opened with Motown pioneer Gladys Knight, who delivered the shortest set of the evening. The Atlanta native\u2019s band kicked off the night, warming up the crowd before she came out in a pantsuit and rocking a mullet.<\/p>\n

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THANK YOU!<\/p>\n

You’re all set.<\/p>\n

CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The 81-year-old was escorted by her three background singers to her position onstage, where she remained for her entire performance. Knight quickly moved into early cuts, including \u201cLove Overboard,\u201d \u201cTaste of Bitter Love,\u201d \u201cBest Thing That Ever Happened to Me\u201d and \u201cI\u2019ve Got to Use My Imagination,\u201d before easing into \u201cNeither One of Us.\u201d The performance built to a soulful ending, with attendees cheering her on. That connection continued during a cover of Dionne Warwick\u2019s \u201cThat\u2019s What Friends Are For,\u201d which drew another warm response from the crowd. But the energy shifted when a cover of Marvin Gaye\u2019s \u201cI Heard It Through the Grapevine\u201d began, and she hit a few shoulder bounces and knee dips, bringing playful movement to the stage. Soon, the audience began to stand, grooving with the Empress of Soul.<\/p>\n

Knight took the crowd to church, leading them into gospel singer Donnie McClurkin\u2019s \u201cStand\u201d while briefly weaving in gospel singer and pianist Richard Smallwood\u2019s \u201cTotal Praise.\u201d By the time she closed with \u201cMidnight Train to Georgia,\u201d the set had moved through the soul genre. As she left the stage, she mouthed, \u201cI love you all so much,\u201d a small and personal gesture. Her set carried the calm command of an artist who does not need to prove her legendary status.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gladys Knight brought the people to church. <\/p>\n

Stephanie Mills isn\u2019t in Oz anymore<\/p>\n

Next up was Mills, who proved that greatness doesn\u2019t require much space. The Brooklyn-born icon, who made a name for herself as the original Dorothy in the Tony-winning musical \u201cThe Wiz\u201d, arrived in an oversized yellow coat, and when she shed it to reveal a sequined strapless bodycon dress, the stage transformed, and she was the embodiment of pure sunshine. The presentation matched her energy from the jump. A live band and background singers, dressed in gold shimmer jackets, primed the audience ahead of the Broadway royalty\u2019s entrance. She opened with \u201cWhat Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin\u2019,\u201d then shifted into \u201c(You\u2019re Puttin\u2019) A Rush on Me,\u201d keeping the momentum rolling through the rest of the set. But it was her 1985 R&B hit, \u201cI Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love,\u201d that drew the most instinctive reaction from the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis happens to be one of my favorite songs to sing,\u201d she told the audience before launching in. <\/p>\n

\"\"They say, \u201cif you\u2019ve got it, flaunt it.\u201d Stephanie Mills did just that.<\/p>\n

Screams rang out as she commanded the room, and her background singers followed with freestyle vocal runs that escalated with each turn. Mills never stood still. She danced and moved across the stage, making it clear she was having the time of her life. The crowd fed off it, too. During \u201cNever Knew Love Like This Before,\u201d she tossed roses into the audience. By the time she closed with \u201cHome,\u201d the arena felt like a Sunday morning service. Before leaving, a tribute reel flashed across the screen honoring those no longer here: Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Kobe Bryant, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Chadwick Boseman, Uptown Records founder Andre Harre and others. Before the songstress walked off, she stood in the center with her son, Farad Mills, who has Down syndrome<\/a> to wrap a bow on her set. <\/p>\n

Lady LaBelle Wowed Us As Expected<\/p>\n

LaBelle followed with the kind of regal theatrics only<\/a> she can make feel off-the-cuff. After her band and background singers ushered in her arrival, she swept onto the stage in a long, red gown anchored by a large diamond jewel brooch pendant, commanding the room before she sang a single note. She wasted no time setting the record straight. Before \u201cLove, Need and Want You,\u201d she reminded the crowd of the song\u2019s later life through Nelly and Kelly Rowland\u2019s \u201cDilemma,\u201d joking, \u201cDon\u2019t get twisted, I did it first.\u201d From there, the two-time Grammy winner leaned into her diva reputation, kicking off her heels early in the set, picking up a bedazzled mirror and throwing white roses from a bouquet into the crowd and dancing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me tell you something. I will be 82 [on] May 24,\u201d she told the arena, drawing cheers before continuing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LaBelle kept the set loose and interactive, two-stepping through parts of the show before a feature spot from her band allowed for an outfit change. As her trombonist played Tevin Campbell\u2019s \u201cCan We Talk,\u201d LaBelle left the stage briefly before returning in a new bob with bangs and a dark, gold-copper look. Then came \u201cIf Only You Knew,\u201d where she reminded the crowd that her voice remains the main event. She stretched into strong, piercing high notes as attendees stood, applauded and chanted her name as she wrapped the number, leaving her visibly moved as she soaked in the love.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lady LaBelle proved why she is the queen of soul.<\/p>\n

She also took time to honor Debbie Henry, a background singer who has sung with her for 40 years, giving Henry space to showcase her talent before presenting her with roses. Later, images of music and cultural figures flashed across the screen as LaBelle and her singers moved into a gospel tribute medley celebrating those who have passed. \u201cLady Marmalade\u201d closed her set, and the crowd loved every second.<\/p>\n

Chaka Khan Was Every Woman<\/p>\n

Khan closed the night with a cinematic entrance that leaned into her larger-than-life presence. Her set opened with her new \u201cChakzilla\u201d video, a campy Godzilla-inspired visual that turned the arena screens into a blockbuster-style prelude, setting up her grand entrance and serving as a reminder that Khan is a living force. Khan brought a sharper, funk-driven energy to the lineup. The first song she sang was \u201cYou Got The Love,\u201d followed by \u201cDo You Love What You Feel,\u201d before the groove deepened with \u201cWhat Cha\u2019 Gonna Do for Me.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cSweet Thing\u201d became one of the night\u2019s strongest singalong moments among any of the performances, with much of the crowd standing and singing loud enough for Khan to acknowledge it.<\/p>\n

\"\"Chaka Khan played all her greatest hits. <\/p>\n

At 73, Khan\u2019s voice sounded flawless throughout the set, never straining. The power was there, rising out of her with ease, whether she was riding the funk of \u201cTell Me Something Good\u201d or leaning into the emotional weight of \u201cThrough the Fire.\u201d She ended with \u201cI\u2019m Every Woman,\u201d turning the final moments of her set into a celebration that felt fitting for a night built around four women whose voices have carried generations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

By the end of the night, what was made most clear was not just that all four women are legends; It was the durability of their voices that held weight and enough fire to still captivate the room all these years later. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When The Queens: 4 Legends, 1 Stage Tour featuring Gladys Knight, Stephanie Mills, Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4619,90114,19613,9,24,63,122,124,123,13102,23114],"class_list":["post-229491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-events","tag-history-nostalgia","tag-national-spotlight","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-rb","tag-touring-artists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229491","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=229491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}