Patti, Gladys, Chaka, And Stephanie’s The Queens Tour: Review

Mother’s Day 2025 was a true celebration of matriarchs— musical ones that is— as Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Stephanie Mills took over the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for their tour, ‘The Queens! 4 Legends. 1 Stage.’

A tour of this caliber is quite rare, so it was no surprise that the arena was completely sold out as we nestled into our floor seats to witness history. Knight took the stage first— and promptly. This crowd made it clear that their time was precious with a round of comical, albeit firm murmuring.

In a siren red suit, the 80-year-old had the audience snapping their fingers, swaying their hips, and singing along to her Motown hits including “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” “Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye),” “That’s What Friends Are For,” and “Midnight Train To Georgia,” along with a cover of Donnie McClurkin’s “Stand.” Overall, the set was concise and endearing.

Mills almost didn’t go on because of a technical issue with one of her instruments, but ultimately it all worked out. Her groovy show began with an interpolation of Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” as she came out in a fitted, black strapless gown ,singing “What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin’.”

She jumped around the stage and demanded to have the air conditioning cut off to preserve the richness of her voice as she cascaded through her top hits like “(You’re Puttin’) A Rush On Me,” “Something in the Way You Make Me Feel,” “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love,” and “Never Knew Love Like This Before.” She also sang “Home” in celebration of The Wiz‘s upcoming 50th anniversary and honored friends she’s lost, such as Luther Vandross, Andre Harrell, Gerald Levert, Whitney Houston, and more in a touching video montage.

LaBelle took the stage in a baby blue ensemble, belting out “New Attitude” while highlights from her Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles/LaBelle days flashed on the screen behind her.

“I’m happy to be here. Thank you all for being here […] We thank you,” the Godmother of Soul gushed before reminding people that she laid the blueprint for 2000s classics like Nelly and Kelly Rowland’s “Dilemma” and Lloyd’s “Lay It Down.”

Animated and on-key, the 81-year-old ran through her jams like “Love, Need and Want You,” “The Right Kinda Lover,” “On My Own,” “My Love, Sweet Love,” and “Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)” — and yes, she did eventually kick off her shoes before being the only act to do a full costume change. We were serenaded with a jazz instrumental of Tevin Campbell’s “Can We Talk” as she did so.

LaBelle is the definition of a diva. She cleansed the air with her own perfume, spruced up her hair with her own handheld mirror, and made sure not a hair was out of place. She also proved that she’s still tapped in with the culture as she played Kendrick Lamar’s “tv off” instrumental and 803Fresh’s “Boots On The Ground”— complete with her fan and the official line dance.

She concluded her set with “If Only You Knew” and by inviting fans onstage in a makeshift Studio 54 for “Lady Marmalade.”

Khan closed the show. Michelle Obama, Whitney Houston, Grace Jones, H.E.R., and others praised her in a montage of career highlights. The spirited redheaded songbird was the only act to have dancers round out her performance, which took live renditions of “I Feel For You,” “Do You Love What You Feel,” and “What Cha Gonna Do For Me” to new heights.

Stevie Wonder came out as the sole surprise guest to perform a funky, soulful version of “Tell Me Something.” Yet, the disruptive depths of her vocal range peaked during “Through The Fire,” “Sweet Thing,” and “My Funny Valentine.” Much to the audience’s surprise, Khan didn’t end on “I’m Every Woman,” but instead “Ain’t Nobody.” It left the crowd engaged and scream-singing; overall, leaving us on a fiery high.

Now, that is how you do a tour. Being able to love on our legends in real time in such a call-and-response way is something that will never get old.