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Beyonce Knowles may have taken the Palace stage like a queen Saturday night, riding in like the Queen of Sheba.
But it was Alicia Keys whose performance was the crowning achievement as the historic Verizon Ladies First Tour rocked Motown.
Knowles and Keys, two of pop and R&B's brightest young stars, are sharing the stage with their inventive hip-hop sister, Missy Elliott, and Windsor's own Tamia. It's believed to be the first time an all-female R&B tour has played -- and filled -- arenas.
Actually, the Palace was not full Saturday night. The crowd of about 14,000 was a few thousand short of capacity, surprising considering the caliber and popularity of the three headliners. Maybe the $68.50 and $78.50 (before surcharges) asking prices were a bit steep for the singers' relatively young fans.
And it was a young crowd, but not as young as you might think. With the possible exception of Elliott's inventive rap music, these are women who have strong appeal to fans young and not-so-old, black and white, which pretty much describes Saturday's turnout.
Tamia opened the show at 7 p.m. with a short but impressive 10-minute set that showcased Mrs. Grant Hill's strong, soaring voice, particularly on her 2000 hit "Stranger in My House." She may be a hometown girl, but the rousing ovation she received from the audience was unusually enthusiastic for a relative unknown, a convincing testament to the sheer power of her voice (pretty incredible when you consider she collapsed from multiple sclerosis last year).
Missy Elliott followed with a raucous, fun half-hour show that was every bit as clever, inventive and colorful as her infectious, quirky jams.
One of the few rappers today who actually knows how to perform, Elliott got the party started with retooled hits (including "Work It" and "Get Ur Freak On"), clever visuals (including a versatile stage set that resembled a giant aquarium) and a cadre of 14 hot, crisply choroegraphed dancers.
Keys' 2001 debut, "Songs in A Minor," introduced the world to a major young talent. She was rewarded with blockbuster sales and numerous awards, including the Grammy for best new artist, and has done nothing to diminish her sterling reputation.
Her new album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys," is even more accomplished, and on the Ladies Night tour, her first in arena settings, Keys proves more than up to the challenge.
Playing the frontwoman role with the right mix of swagger and restraint, Keys effortlessly changed musical moods the way others, notably the headliner, change costumes. So many of today's pop stars settle for gimmicks, crowd-pleasing cliches and overwrought vocal acrobatics. Keys needed none of them. She was a study in subtlety and restraint, smoothly morphing her hour-long set from punchy funk to sensuous ballads to old-school soul.
And what a voice. She turned breakthrough hit "Fallin' " from a song about puppy love to a pained expression of emotions run amok.
The new song "If I Ain't Got You" and 2001's "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" dripped with frustration. "Slow Down" was a sultry make-out ballad, which Keys sang seductively and deliberately, bathed in red light while draped over her piano.
I'd never seen her in concert before, but I won't pass down a chance to see her again.
I can't say the same about Beyonce. Granted, she makes delicious, danceable pop music and she's got a face and a body that the camera adores. But like so many young performers who've grown up in show business, she's too emotionally detached and mechanical a performer to really make a connection with the audience.
Elliott ran all the way to the back of the hall to make direct contact with her audience. Beyonce rode in above them on a bed hoisted by a bevy of buff, beefy boys. Though her splashy 75-minute performance was long on hits and eye candy, the robotic, by-the-numbers nature of her performance was more numbing than novel.
Some audience members clearly felt that way as dozens streamed into the exits well before she encored with her most irresistible hit, "Crazy in Love."
Although the Ladies First tour is more about sisterhood than competition, Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys are the real winners on this historic tour.