At one point, the R&B arrow on the ever-spinning wheel of pop music history pointed to Motown. There, the genre got a signature star with Diana Ross and The Supremes. And in the '90s, the arrow spun again and landed on heiresses for the internet era: Beyoncé and Destiny's Child.
When the world-famous girl group came to the Quad-Cities in 2001, reviewers couldn't resist the comparison. Their show in Moline even came a day after Ross' birthday. And earlier that year, Destiny's Child leaned into it, recreating an iconic Supremes photo for the cover of Vibe Magazine.
On the surface, the parallel made sense. A magnetic frontwoman bound for solo success? Check. A rotating cast of three, then later two, secondary stars? Check.
Both radio hits and lovely ballads? Check and check. And when Destiny's Child played at The Mark of the Quad-Cities on March 27, 2001, the group was — like the Supremes after their name change in '67 — in a state of flux. Founding members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson departed a year earlier, replaced by Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
But Beyoncé was always the face of the franchise. On the day of the show, the trio was a month away from the release of "Survivor," a record that brought Destiny's Child the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and three huge hits — "Independent Women, Pt. 1," "Survivor" and "Bootylicious.
" FILE - Destiny's Child singer Beyonce Knowles salutes the crowd at the Mark during their 2001 show. But later that year, the.