The Queens Reigned Supreme in The Nation’s Capital

October 7, 2025 NastyBreakdown 0 Review, Tour,

Royal Court was held when Capital One Arena was transformed into a palace for the arrival of The Queens Tour in Washington, DC. If ever our elders needed a night out on the town, THIS was the perfect chance for them to be OUTSIDE to not only enjoy, but celebrate the music that helped define their generation. For the first time, Gladys Knight, Stephanie Mills, Patti LaBelle, and Chaka Khan teamed up for a concert tour event that proved to be a true tour de force.

With a stacked lineup such as this, we know that it was a hard decision for the tour promoters The Black Promoters Collective to make on the structure of the actual show order, but the Empress of Soul was first up to take the stage.

In a sporty red pant suit, Ms. Gladys Knight was escorted out on the stage by her background vocalists while singing “Taste of Bitter Love.” I’ve been infatuated with “Love Overboard” since she performed it with Whitley and Jalessa on that one episode of “A Different World“, so to be able to be right in front of her in the pit while she performed it gave me all of the feels that I needed.

Performing for more than half of her life, at 81 years of age Gladys is visibly slowing down as anyone who’s had the blessing of experiencing life that long would be, but vocally she was effortlessly belting her hits, with her voice in direct contrast to her age. For 30 minutes, she took us through a magnitude of emotions, traversing through love with “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” took us to church with a rendition of Donnie McClurkin’s “Stand” and reminded us how important friendship is via “That’s What Friends Are For.” As her closing number “Midnight Train To Georgia” was a shot of adrenaline to the crowd, causing concert goers to leap out their seats and cheering soon as the beat started, still proving to be a crowd favorite decades later.

For the first time ever, I was getting to see Stephanie Mills perform live, and mannnn, did she not disappoint! Personally, she took the crown from the night of Queens. Looking like he queen that she is in a sequined royal blue gown that hugged all of her curves perfectly, Ms. Mills opened her set with a three peat of “What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin’,” “(You’re Puttin’) A Rush on Me,” and “Something In The Way You Make Me Feel,.”

She more than held her own delivering a masterclass in showmanship, singing, dancing and interacting with the crowd without missing a single note. The professionalism didn’t stop just there as her background vocalists not only complimented, but also was able to match her talent, and her band stayed tight the entire show.

Since she was sharing the stage with the other divas, she only had five to six songs to showcase her powerful vocals and hits. Her favorite song “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love” was the exact moment where she was able to cut up and show you that this was a LIVE SHOW, no lip synching allowed.

We were taken “Home” with the one song that gave us the first introduction to the Broadway sensation. There really wasn’t too many a dry eye during that particular song, not only because of the riveting performance, but because the song made them think about those in their lives who were no longer present on Earth.

At 80 years old, LaBelle reminded the crowd that not only can she still move hearts and bring people to their feet — she can still kick off her heels, too.

Ms. Patti walked onto the stage in an indigo blue pants suit and red pumps, met by a roar from a multigenerational crowd. From the very first note, it was clear that LaBelle came to give the people a full show.

She opened with “Something Special (Is Gonna Happen Tonight)” before moving into timeless classics like “If Only You Knew,” “Love, Need And Want You” and “On My Own.” The audience sang every word. Some were swaying with emotion, others dancing like no time had passed at all — just joy and memories in motion.

LaBelle’s set was more than a trip down memory lane. With her continued powerful vocals full of life presence and attitude, LaBelle continued to prove why she is the legend she is. She expressed kindness and gratitude between songs, speaking to the thanking them and reflecting on her journey.

She has a way about her that makes each performance unique in its own way, despite the many classics under her belt.

To close out the evening of sheer diva power, last but certainly not least the soulstress Chaka Khan strutted out looking absolutely stunning in a bejeweled black body suit to the tune of “This Is My Night,” which she made it evidently clear that it WAS her night. Although this was a celebration of her being in the music industry for the past 50 years, she appeared as youthful as ever dancing and sliding from end to end as if she was one of these young 30 something pop music girls.

Asking the crowd “Do You Like What You Feel” was like asking a question that you already knew the answer to because everyone was in their feels. Digging into her crate of hits including “What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me,” “Sweet Thing,” and “Through The Fire“, it was rather shocking to hear that she retained these songs not only in the same arrangement as the original, but also in the same key. What was even more impressive is that her voice hasn’t lost any of its power that she was initially known for.

While many artists tend to ignore songs that were a part of a movie soundtrack, Chaka actually performed “My Funny Valentine,” which was lifted from The Waiting To Exhale soundtrack. This song in particular holds a lot of nostalgic value because my mom used to play that audio tape OUT. Not to leave us on a bit of a slow note, my personal favorites “I Feel For You” and “I’m Every Woman” closed out the show, with the latter being a track that tied the whole tour together. What I felt was a missed moment was bringing all of the ladies on the bill out to perform it together.