Destiny's Child wows crowd
By Chad Pata
Special to The Advertiser
As the crowd gathered in anticipation of the Destiny's Child concert at Blaisdell Arena last night, it almost seemed Sept. 11 never happened.
The biggest concern outside the arena was the crowd of teenagers trying to get refunds for tickets once they got the news that Nelly and Eve were not going to perform with Destiny's Child.
Inside, the only mention of firefighters came when some of the pyrotechnics briefly caught a speaker on fire.
The only American flag displayed was the one hanging from the ceiling for the national anthem at HPU basketball games.
For a night at least, Hawai'i's youth had something else to scream about, the ephemeral multiplatinum mega-band Destiny's Child.
The trio opened with their female anthem "Independent Woman Part I." The crowd roared, but the sound was out of sync.
Unlike many pop vocalist bands who use playbacks of recorded background music, Destiny's Child opted for a live band. For the first few songs, that proved to be a mistake.
The rhythm section dragged behind the girls, and the guitars drowned out their voices at the most inopportune times.
It could be likened to sitting at a traffic light with an Iroc blasting Van Halen on one side of you and a Honda pumping out hip-hop on the other. The result: a mangled sound that was neither entertaining nor danceable. The fans, mostly teen girls, took to screaming, as it seemed the only logical response.
Beyonce Knowles, the undisputed leader of the group, seemed to be dragging through the first few songs, her dance moves as forced as a smile at a father-in-law's jokes. But all that changed with the opening chords to their Grammy Award winning "Say My Name."
Their energy surged as Kelly Rowland led the crowd in a sing-along, while the tech finally toned down the out-of-place guitars and drums, letting the synthesizer take over. Knowles then found her fire and let loose with her opera-trained voice.
The true highlight of the show, however, was when the three separated to sing solo pieces. Rowland opened it up, flashing her auburn hair and energy enough to make a true redhead proud.
Michelle Williams followed with a lilting voice reminiscent of Diana Ross. Her vocal range surpasses her partners, but Knowles was not to be outdone.
She went after "I Know He Likes Me" with the ferocity of an aria, and the fans responded accordingly.
It almost seemed as if the girls were better on their own, giving the listener a chance to enjoy the immense talents of each rather than being lost in the din of the trio and a band.
As with all mega-pop acts, there were pyrotechnics and costume changes, neither of which held a candle to the elaborate displays from recent Hawai'i shows by Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera. Destiny's Child is not lacking in talent, but rather in show biz know-how.
This was painfully clear when they had a brief moment of silence for the lives lost in New York followed by a cover of the BeeGees "Emotion."
While well meant, their closing two songs, "Everything's Going to Be All Right" and "Survivor," seemed more fitting tributes.
Opening act DisGuyz actually upstaged the ladies on the patriotic front with a recording of President Bush's speech followed by a stirring version of "We Must Go On."
It was disappointing that many fans were screaming and yelling over the recording of the president's speech, but it may be too much to expect a respectful attitude from a mostly teen and preteen concert crowd. Still, the boys did the nation proud.
This local boy band has improved tremendously since their stumble at the Aguilera show and hopefully there will be more like this to come.
