Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Stephanie Mills, Gladys Knight
Toyota Center
June 28, 2026
As I was ordering my one and done drink before Thursday’s “The Queens: 4 Legends, 1 Stage” show, the bartender told me she’d gotten there early just so she could hear the singers warm up. When I asked if she’d made a wise choice, she assured me I was in for a treat.
And she was right. Those lucky enough to be at Toyota Center last night witnessed nearly 250 years of R&B, soul, and funk experience in the span of a few hours. “The Queens” tour may have been delayed from its original date (February 20), but the party went on regardless.
That bill sounds like a lot of royalty on one stage, and it is. However, only one of the four who performed last night is officially a “queen.” Although technically I guess they all are. Khan is the “Queen of Funk,” yes. But LaBelle goes by the “Godmother of Soul.” Not to be outdone, Knight is known as the “Empress of Soul.”
Mills doesn’t have an official sobriquet, but she played Dorothy in the original Broadway run of The Wiz. That’s gotta count for something. Never mind that the announcer introduced them all as “The Queens of Soul.” I guess now that Aretha’s gone, the title’s there for the taking.
Gladys Knight was first up. The Pips singer (24 albums) and solo powerhouse (10) celebrated her 82nd birthday last night (though we didn’t find out until Mills told us later). Her set, which included classics like “If I were Your Woman,” I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” was more a medley than a full show. And while she needed the assistance of her backup singers to traverse the stage, her voice was still remarkably strong.
Were there a couple miscues? Sure. Knight missed the intro to “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” and those same backup singers did a lot of heavy lifting during her cover of Donnie McClurkin’s gospel steamroller “Stand.” But her vocals are still almost effortlessly powerful. And the crowd’s enthusiasm was undiminished.
Although — as I remarked to the guys behind me — I doubted she was going to be doing any blow backstage.
Next was Stephanie Mills. I’m ashamed to say that she was the one performer I was least familiar with. Ashamed, because she absolutely killed. The youngest of the group at 69, she cavorted like someone half that age. She opened with bouncy (and parenthetical) hits “(You’re Puttin’) a Rush on Me” and “Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel).” After Knight’s mostly rooted-in-one-spot performance, Mills was a dynamic sensation.
She slowed things down a bit with “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love.” This was also when she gave her own backup singers, including her son Jason, their own time to shine. Mills closed out with “Home,” from The Wiz. It was the first of two times during “The Queens” that we’d get tributes to the many artists who’ve left us in recent years.
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been legitimately floored by a musical act. Watching Stephanie Mills for her all-too-brief performance was one of those.
Hey, you know who’s also 82? Patti LaBelle. The “When You Talk About Love” singer kicked her heels off before third song “The Right Kinda Lover,” to the delight of the crowd. She was also the only performer to undergo a costume change, taking a break to shed her pink formal gown for a shimmery black number and matching wig.
LaBelle introduced “On My Own” as the “song I recorded with Michael McDonald a long time ago.” She syllabized a lot during that one, but holy hell, what syllables. Again, it was remarkable how potent all of their voices remain. Her rendition of her crossover hit “If Only You Knew” brought the Toyota Center to its feet. Not for the first or last time.
Her closing numbers started with “You Are My Friend,” which was also accompanied by shots of a number of fellow performers who have passed (including Bob Marley, Sarah Vaughn, and … Laura Nyro?). And “Lady Marmalade,” a song one or two of you may be familiar with.
Chaka Khan’s set was delayed somewhat by onstage logistics, but the DJ kept the crowd entertained with a number of classic R&B and hip hop selections. I should’ve brought my kids for the latter, as my education in that regard is somewhat bereft.
Prefaced by a video for something called “Chakzilla” — a Sia collab featuring Khan as a sort of benevolent kaiju — the former Rufus frontwoman came out to some of the heartiest applause of the evening. Highlights of her set included “Do You Love What You Do,” her 1980 hit “Papillon (a.k.a. Hot Butterfly),” and of course “Feel For You” and “I’m Every Woman.” She also took a break to bring three randos from the audience to sing. And they could! Especially the striking young woman who belted out an impressive version of “Tell Me Something Good” to the delight of the audience.
“Living legend” is a term that probably gets thrown around too much. But it’s a rare night indeed when you get to see four of them at once. To the Toyota Center audience’s credit, you got the feeling they knew this. Knight, Mills, LaBelle, and Khan are four of the best to ever do it. And if you missed last night’s show, I genuinely feel bad for you, because something like “The Queens” is never going to happen again.
Personal Bias: Clearly, I need to get my hands on an original cast recording of The Wiz.
The Crowd: Unlike most of the shows I cover, none of these folks seemed to be in a bad mood.
Overheard In The Crowd: “You’re gonna have a flippin’ good time.”
Random Notebook Dump: “Does CeCe Peniston have any other songs? I refuse to look it up.”
THE QUEENS SET LIST(S)
GLADY KNIGHT
Love Overboard
Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me
If I Were Your Woman
Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)
That’s What Friends Are For
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Stand
Total Praise
Midnight Train to Georgia
STEPHANIE MILLS
What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin’
(You’re Puttin’) a Rush on Me
Something in the Way You Make Me Feel
I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love
Never Knew Love Like This Before
Home
PATTI LABELLE
When You’ve Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)
Love, Need and Want You
The Right Kinda Lover
On My Own (Burt Bacharach cover)
Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)
When You Talk About Love
If Only You Knew
You Are My Friend
Lady Marmalade
CHAKA KHAN
This Is My Night
Do You Love What You Do
Tell Me Something Good
Papillon (Hot Butterfly)
Sweet Thing
Through the Fire
Feel For You
I’m Every Woman
Ain’t Nobody
