For Destiny’s Child singer Beyoncé Knowles, the idea of going solo was never a question of if, but when.
And now that she’s sold millions of copies of her 2003 solo CD, won five Grammys and is headlining arenas, it’s easy to say she should have ditched her less bootylicious bandmates even sooner than she did.
But things weren’t quite so certain Monday night when she headlined the Ladies First tour at the American Airlines Center. In uneven 75-minute show brimming with clichés and corn, Beyoncé showed serious growing pains.
On a sheer visual level, she was fabulous. Her sparkling bras and super-tight hot pants were the stuff of male heart palpitations, and her well-oiled dance troupe spun, slid and scurried around the singer like the Dallas Mavericks Dancers on crank.
But when the music stopped, the problems began. Her way-too-frequent costume changes set off a series of time-killing tactics, including a badly-made video of Beyoncé pretending to hang out backstage in real-time (she was inexplicably wearing a different outfit three seconds after leaving the stage).
And her between-song banter ranged from humdrum to all-out hokey. Introducing the first of several songs about independence, “Me, Myself and I,’’ she opened her purse and produced a pair of mysterious red panties she said proved her boyfriend was unfaithful -- as if any woman would actually tote around somebody’s used underwear.
Even worse were the moments where she tried to bond with fans. “I want you to know I see each and every one of you,’’ she said, totally straight-faced, staring up into the faraway rafters.
Then, before her strangely truncated version of “Survivor” (all the more time for yet another costume change), she gave an emotional recounting of her rise to fame and riches that ended with her telling the crowd: “It happened to me, and it can happen to you!”
Maybe so. Like so many pop stars, Beyoncé is proof that hard work, combined with the right package, are just important as talent.
As a singer, Beyoncé is light years ahead of Janet or Britney, who lip-sync along to backing tapes in concert. But while she’s got plenty of vocal wattage, Beyoncé isn’t much of a stylist - especially on the slow songs.
“Dangerously in Love,” was supposed to be the night’s dramatic pre-encore finale, but the ballad was a bust. As Beyoncé waved goodbye and vanished from the stage, the crowd didn’t roar - it clapped politely and quietly started filing toward the exits.
“I know you’re not all leaving yet,” an announcer said. “Y’all can’t just stand there and be quiet like that.”
They finally let out a roar when Beyoncé came back to perform “Crazy in Love,’’ a song that gets 90 percent of its juice from the horn riff in the Chi-Lites’ 1970 hit “Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)”. In fact, most of the show’s best melodies came from other tunes - a snippet of Shuggie Otis’ “Strawberry Letter 23” (in “Be With You”), a bit of Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You” (in “Naughty Girl”) - which leaves you wondering if Beyoncé is a solo star with staying power, or just another slave to the sample who happens to be on a hot streak.

By THOR CHRISTENSEN,
The Dallas Morning News