review1

The Verizon Ladies First Tour 2004, an unprecedented alliance of marquee names from the worlds of contemporary R&B and hip-hop, arrived at the New Orleans Arena on Sunday for only the second stop on the tour.
The logistical challenge of presenting three headliners -- Missy Elliott, Alicia Keys and Beyonce Knowles -- on one stage, each with their own elaborate set, triggered delays of 45 minutes between acts.
But the waits were worthwhile. Ladies First unfolded like a dream night at the Essence Music Festival, with the added bonus of a fresh set of eye-popping visuals for each performer.
With all music supplied by prerecorded tracks and vinyl spun by a disc jockey, the success or failure of a rapper onstage depends on his or her charisma.
The irrepressible Missy Elliott, clad in a yellow and black Adidas track suit, did not lack charisma, exhorting both her dancers and audience with equal gusto.
She navigated the lines of "Work It," "Get Ur Freak On" and other radio hits with sufficient finesse, even if the sound system's frightful volume obliterated nuance.
Her best moment? When hulking security guards accompanied her for a romp around the arena floor. She stood on seats, high-fived fans and invigorated the audience for what would follow.
Alicia Keys fully atoned for her flatline performance at the 2002 Essence festival, in part by toning down her narcissism and reining in her half-pint hype man. Keys paints with a palette of many colors, including soul, R&B, hip-hop and pop, and all were evident.
She danced out front during the opening salvo of "Heartburn" and "Rock Wit U," hearty R&B punched up by her sprawling, horn-heavy band.
But she said even more with less. Alone at a grand piano, she delivered a spellbinding medley. A classical exercise yielded to an audience singalong of Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me."
She tore up "Butterflyz," pouring herself into its ache, working lyrics of longing like the great soul singers she so admires, as her piano provided additional drama with tricks of melody, timing and rhythm.
Her hubris occasionally got the best of her -- was anyone really impressed that she can "conduct" her band as if it were an orchestra? But by the time she arrived at a triumphant "Fallin' " -- a song she skipped at Essence -- she had already won.
Beyonce, pop music's classy new queen, made the grandest entrance of all. Lounging atop a royal dais, she was carted down the Arena's center aisle by shirtless men as she regally dispensed Mardi Gras beads. Her short, golden skirt and halter top hinted at ancient Egyptian finery. "I'm a foxy Cleopatra," she declared, "and I'm a whole lotta woman, sugar!"
Such a pronouncement is permissible only if you can back it up. For 70 minutes, Beyonce did just that, presiding over a dazzling showcase of hip-hop-infused pop.
In fine voice, she also stepped right alongside her crisply choreographed dancers -- all wearing 3-inch heels, no less -- on a sleek stage that morphed with moving video screens, staircases, ramps and platforms laden with musicians.
Not forgetting her past, she revisited the songbook of Destiny's Child, the R&B vocal trio that launched her to stardom. But Sunday was all about Beyonce, as the flashing lights of "Crazy in Love" underscored.
She asked for a show of fists during "Survivor" and made several declarations in support of self-esteem and self-empowerment, especially for women. Throughout a tour de force performance that capped off a night putting Ladies First, she led by powerful example.