Mathew Knowles is honoring Destiny’s Child with a new nationwide tribute tour, featuring orchestra-style renditions of the group’s iconic hits.
Launched on his birthday, Jan. 9, “Destiny’s Child: Iconic Reimagined Tribute” is a 60-minute live show featuring a five-piece band performing orchestra-style versions of the group’s biggest hits, including “Say My Name,” “Independent Women,” and “Survivor,” Page Six reported. The show kicked off in the group’s hometown of Houston, with planned dates in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami.
As Destiny’s Child’s founder and former manager, Knowles also takes the stage to share behind-the-scenes stories of their rise to fame, promising fans a “sophisticated” evening.
“The moment you walk into the room and you see the ambiance and 3,000-plus candles surrounding a stage, and these amazing quintet musicians, and violinists, it starts there,” he said.
Knowles founded the Grammy-winning group in 1990, guiding it through multiple lineups, including, at one point, 11 members and even a male rapper, he revealed. The group eventually solidified as a trio with Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, and his daughter Beyoncé, achieving global acclaim both together and in their solo careers.
Knowles credits part of their success to his method of “practicing failure,” where management intentionally created stage mishaps during rehearsals to train the group to handle mistakes with poise.
“They didn’t know when the lights were going to go off, when the sound would go off, or a heel might break. All the things that could happen. We practiced that,” he said. “It was all planned by management.”
The aim was to train the group to stay composed and adapt quickly whenever a mishap happened during a live performance.
“They didn’t know once they got on the stage, that the sound was going to get muted at a certain point. We did that, so they wouldn’t panic,” he said.
It’s something Knowles can still see the benefits of whenever his daughters hit the stage.
”You can also see that happen with Beyoncé and Solange during a Beyoncé performance, when Solange slipped, and then they made a routine of it. Those things you practice when you’re the very best,” he said.
The “Destiny’s Child: Iconic Reimagined Tribute” heads to Atlanta next, with a performance at Guardian Works on Jan. 16.
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