An evening for the queens

Mother’s Day ended on a high note Sunday night as “The Queens! 4 Legends, 1 Stage” tour transformed Enterprise Center into a celebration of love, legacy and timeless music.

The show was originally scheduled for earlier this year. But the Mother’s Day makeup date felt serendipitous. Fans were given a fitting opportunity to honor the women in their lives while witnessing four iconic performers — Gladys Knight, Stephanie Mills, Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan, all of whom are mothers — share one stage for an unforgettable evening.

The show drew generations of fans. There were daughters bonding with mothers over songs played throughout their childhoods. There were couples slow dancing to classics that once soundtracked their romances. Others simply came to reconnect with friends and relive the music of their youth. No matter the reason, the night delivered an emotional and electrifying experience.

From smooth R&B and soul to funk and gospel, each performer brought her own signature sound and commanding stage presence.

Seven-time Grammy winner Knight opened the evening in a velvet pantsuit with a gospel-inspired set that immediately set a heartfelt tone. She began with Donnie McClurkin’s “Stand,” backed by soaring harmonies from her singers, before transitioning into “Total Praise.” The performance felt equal parts testimony and warmup for the vocal marathon ahead. Knight closed her concise but powerful set with “Midnight Train to Georgia” as the stage glowed in bright orange light.

Mills followed in dazzling fashion. She took the stage in a red sequined halter dress while her background singers matched in sparkling red jackets. The set carried extra emotional weight as she included her son, Farad Mills, in the performance. Midway through her set, Mills delivered a touching rendition of Boyz II Men’s “A Song for Mama.” It was one of the evening’s most fitting moments. As she tossed roses into the crowd, audience members sang to their mothers, wives and loved ones. The selection created an atmosphere filled with appreciation and nostalgia.

She shifted gears with energetic performances of “Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)” and “Never Knew Love Like This Before.” Then she slowed things down with “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love,” which was written and originally performed by St. Louis’ own Angela Winbush. The crowd erupted as Mills effortlessly hit towering high notes.

Her background vocalists also had moments to shine, with standout vocalist Jason earning cheers from the audience during an impressive vocal run. Mills closed with “Home” from “The Wiz.” Her finale – which she performed on Broadway as the original Dorothy for the Tony Award-winning original Broadway run – promoted emotional singalongs throughout the arena.

The emotional momentum continued with LaBelle, who opened with “Love, Need and Want You,” a song especially beloved by St. Louis audiences. Wearing an elegant satin wrap dress with dramatic structure, LaBelle commanded attention from the moment she stepped into the spotlight.

In true diva fashion, she kicked off her heels during “The Right Kinda Lover,” revealing multiple colorful replacement pairs waiting atop the piano. She glided across the stage through “On My Own” and “Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is),” turning the latter into a stunning vocal showcase filled with dramatic melodic wails.

LaBelle briefly exited the stage to welcome special guest Jeff Bradshaw, whose trombone rendition of Tevin Campbell’s “Can We Talk” energized the crowd. She later returned in a black ensemble paired with a sleek blunt-cut bob wig to perform an emotionally charged “If Only You Knew.”

She ended on a high-energy note with “Lady Marmalade,” bringing fans to their feet for one last dance before exiting the stage.

Closing the night was 11-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan, whose set immediately transformed the arena into a funk-filled party. Fans swayed from the opening notes of “We Can Work It Out” and “Do You Love What You Feel.”

Khan leaned fully into funk classics including “You Got the Love” and “Tell Me Something Good,” her unmistakable vocals cutting through the booming instrumentation. She then slowed things down with a soulful performance of “Through the Fire” beneath deep red lighting. Audience members sang along so passionately that Khan repeated the song’s bridge during an impromptu encore moment.

The pinnacle of her set came with “I’m Every Woman,” a fitting anthem for Mother’s Day. Fans pumped their fists, danced in the aisles and shouted every lyric back to the stage in one of the night’s most cinematic moments.

Khan closed with “Ain’t Nobody,” playfully dancing and tossing her long red hair while proving her decades-old hits still carry the same infectious energy.

The evening served as a celebration of the women who raised generations on these songs and the timeless music that continues to connect families decades later. For many fans inside Enterprise Center, there may not have been a better way to spend Mother’s Day.

Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.