review1

Ladies First Tour, with Beyonce Knowles, Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys, FleetCenter, Boston, last night.
BOSTON The Ladies First Tour at the Fleet Center Wednesday night proved that women can hold their own in pop music and not let ego get in the way.
The powerful night of talent, showmanship and glitz showcased the biggest names in pop, Beyonce Knowles; hip-hop, Missy Elliott; and rhythm and blues, Alicia Keys. It was an empowering four-hour show of musical marvels untrammeled by one-upmanship or gimmicks.
Scrappy rapper Missy Elliott got her freak on early with a combustible set featuring songs from her five-album career. The bump of last year's mega hit "Work It" was great musically, as was "Get Your Freak On." Her raunchy vocals were frequently drowned out, as happens in the fast talking genre, but her energy never wavered. She was backed by a group of dancers who performed theatrical skits, adding style to her set. The best was the hip-hop Riverdance number "Pass That Dutch," with cowboy hat and Adidas track suit-clad step dancers burning up the stage.
Elliott didn't blow our minds, but set the right vibe for what was to come. And that was multi-Grammy winner Alicia Keys. The piano vocal star settled any bet that she couldn't make a comeback from her 2001 Norah Jones-like sweep.
Tracks from Songs in A Minor, her acclaimed album, such as "Rock Wit U," and "How Come You Don't Call Me" were delivered with jazzy juice and panache.
Her highly choreographed show, featuring Keys in a Fosse fedora and white cane, seemed stilted at times, but was so flawless it worked. Belting out her current hit off her recent release The Diary of Alicia Keys, "You Don't Know My Name," in which she calls a guy up and asks him out, was refreshing and modern.
But she was best when alone on the piano like on the sinewy "A Woman's Worth" and "Butterflies." Her famed torch song "Fallin'" was an excellent ending to the muscular set.
Keys may have been the only musician on the bill, but the night belonged to Beyonce. The lead singer of Destiny's Child arrived with all the fanfare of Madonna, in a white Cleopatra chariot from the middle of the floor.
With enough star wattage to illuminate the city, she proved her newly claimed status as pop queen, eclipsing J.Lo by a marathon. With a voice from the heavens, Beyonce hit every note, adding a fabulous falsetto here and a sexy giggle and shimmy there. Performing songs from her solo debut Dangerously in Love and a medley of Destiny's Child favorites, the polished performer had the sold-out room spellbound.
On steamy new tracks like "Naughty Girl," and "Baby Boy," she worked both sides of the stage in Marilyn Monroe glamour, with a wind machine seeming to follow her everywhere. In between a dizzying number of costume changes, from seductive to cute to red-carpet elegance, Beyonce encouraged the audience to cash in on their dreams. Addressing the pep talk to the young girls in the audience, she used her story, singing professionally at age 9 and garnering a hit at 15, to inspire. "If I can do it, you can too," said the 21-year-old Houston native.
Musically, she relied on the strength of Destiny's Child material like "Survivor" and "Say My Name." Allaying fears that the trio is kaput, she told the crowd that a new CD is expected in October. "You knew that, right?" she said.
The highlight of the night arrived late. Midway through her last song, "Crazy in Love," her boyfriend Jay-Z came out of retirement to break off a few lines. The surprise appearance of one of hip-hop's biggest stars ignited the crowd into a frenzy as silver confetti filled the air.
The cameo of Jay-Z, who performs with her on the song, was fleeting, but added enough pop to send droves out into the night buzzing.
Emerging talent Tamia played an early and quick set that proves she's one to watch.