Not All Smoke and Mirrors

Destiny’s Child is not an act obsessed with the past. Modern pop hooks and slick beats have been enough to sustain the trio as it has conquered MTV and the charts with songs of fierce attitude and frantic romance. Nostalgia is hardly an issue.

So it was a surprise that the group’s second-finest moment at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Sunday would be a too-brief tribute to the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. For barely a minute, Destiny’s Child harmonized on a faithful, urgent rendition of “Proud Mary,” down to the old go-go dance moves. But it was only a tease.

The trio’s very best moments would of course emerge during any one of its finest modern R&B; hits (“Survivor,” “Say My Name,” et al)--songs that mix hip-hop intensity with modern pop polish, sexual drama with bouncy melodies. But the performance of “Proud Mary” suggested a range the young group has yet to fully explore. It touched a nerve of genuine emotion that was lacking elsewhere.

The Houston-based vocal trio did occasionally bring real human weight to its pure pop, weaving love-hate sentiments and assorted social issues into a crisp, tightly produced package. Not everything in the 75-minute performance was musically memorable, but little during the night lacked energy or excitement.

The headlining performance was the closing set for this leg of the MTV-sponsored “TRL” tour, which included appearances by Nelly, Dream and acclaimed rapper Eve, whose 30-minute set hardly served her tough, genre-blending hip-hop. Playing to an audience heavy with teenagers and parents, Eve and the other acts kept the crowd on its feet, even inviting teens and younger kids to the stage.

They could also misread the audience, as when Nelly offered a big hello to Death Row Records mogul Suge Knight, fresh from prison and barely visible in the shadows at stage left. The confused crowd reacted with scattered cheers and boos.

For Destiny’s Child, the tour’s “TRL” label underlined a misleading connection with the teen-pop movement associated with that MTV program. Though the act did begin as a preteen talent show competitor, Destiny’s Child has clearly outgrown the category, emerging Sunday amid smoke and flames and wearing glittery hot pants. As the show went on, there was more in common with the sophistication of post-Supremes Diana Ross than Britney and Christina.

The concert presented the newest lineup of the band close up, after the ejection of two members last year. So Sunday’s concert was all about leader Beyonce Knowles swinging her hips through a steady supply of stage fog in high-heeled boots and long blond curls. But she left ample room for occasional lead vocals from her current partners, longtime member Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

They are talented, if unexceptional singers. There were no searing, heart-wrenching vocals, virtually nothing revealing of authentic emotion, though the trio did halt the dance beats long enough for a convincing moment of gospel. More time was spent on a series of costume changes (bikinis for “Bootylicious,” grass skirts for “Survivor”).

Most impressive, the trio wasn’t just playing to the kids in attendance, but singing material that was equally accessible to adults. Over and over, these so-called teen-pop singers were confident enough to slow things down on Sunday. The women of Destiny’s Child were never less than grown up.