Beyoncé belongs in a stadium now. Her 1st Phoenix concert in 1999 proved she was a force

Long before she was headlining stadium tours, a young Beyoncé Knowles led Destiny’s Child through a set of their earliest hits for a sold-out crowd on the rotating stage of the 2,650-person capacity Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix as part of a radio show for Power 92 called the Jingle Ball Jam.

It was Dec. 15, 1999.

Beyoncé had turned 18 that September.

She was joined onstage by fellow founding members Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett.

At that point, Destiny’s Child were known primarily for three hit singles — “No, No, No,” which peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 back in 1998; “Bills, Bills, Bills,” which had become their first chart-topping entry on the Hot 100 that July, and “Say My Name,” which would go on to top the charts the week of March 18, 2000.

There were three other acts on the Jingle Ball Jam — Eve, Sole and Blaque, a fellow up-and-coming girl group riding high on “Bring It All to Me.”

The T-shirts for the show say, “Babes in Toyland.”

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'I remember thinking they were like the Supremes'

Bruce St. James was the program director at Power 92.

“Back then, we would do these showcases for artists, especially up-and-coming artists, where we’d give away a couple hundred tickets on the radio to promote the event and then we'd sell the rest,” he said. “And when you know you’re gonna be promoting it on air, it always helps to have a hook.”

Danny Zelisko, a concert promoter who went on to bring Destiny’s Child to the outdoor venue now called Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre the following year on a Christina Aguilera tour through SFX, was also there, and said they were great that night at the Celebrity.

“I remember thinking they were like the Supremes at the beginning and the same thing happened,” Zelisko said. “The girl in the middle turned out to be the star and deservedly so. She was a force even then, but they were a group. The focus was just starting to be more and more on Queen Beyoncé.”

'Destiny's Child was built to be a vehicle for Beyoncé'

St. James says Power 92 got lucky with the timing of that booking.

“I mean, they were they were a big act, believe me,” he said. “But we got really lucky because you book these shows months in advance, fingers crossed that the songs turn into hits. And by the time they came here, they weren't just Destiny's Child. They were Beyoncé and Destiny's Child. She was starting to separate herself from the group as something of a star, a lead singer.”

Like Zelisko, he compared the situation to Diana Ross and the Supremes.

“Not to diminish the other members of the group, but the band was managed by Beyoncé's dad,” St. James said.

“Kelly Rowland is a fabulous singer. She's a phenomenal vocal talent. She was never gonna be the star because Destiny's Child was built to be a vehicle for Beyoncé to become a star. Mr. Knowles was gonna make sure of that. And he did a hell of a job.”

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That Arizona show was among the final shows by the original lineup

“This was a girl group where you could tell who the leader was,” said Charlie Huero, who was the assistant music director at Power 92 at the time of the concert. “You could tell Beyoncé was the leader. She commanded the show. She commanded the audience.”

That Phoenix concert was among the final opportunities fans had to see the founding members of Destiny’s Child together on one stage.

Huero said he recalled some backstage drama going down, even then.

“What I remember about that show is some of the craziness going on behind the scenes that a lot of the audience didn’t know was going on,” he said. “Beyoncé's dad, Mr. Knowles, was there. They had four members in the band, but only Kelly and Beyoncé were around for pictures after they performed because the other girls were gone. It was odd. I think we were one of the last radio stations to do a show with Destiny’s Child as they were.”

By March 2000, Roberson and Luckett had been replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin after trying to break off from Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles.

Franklin only lasted five months, after which Destiny’s Child carried on as a trio, a lineup that remained in place through 2006, when they officially disbanded. Destiny's Child has reunited several times to join Beyoncé at major events.

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'Four beautiful girls who couldn't have been kinder, sweeter or more lovely'

Huero also remembers all four members being very nice. “They were just genuine,” he said. “You run into artists who don’t really care. They’ve done eight billion meet & greets and just don’t give a crap. But then you run into people who are actually pleasant. I remember them being pleasant.”

As for their performance, Huero thought the parts of their set he was able to watch between running around backstage were great.

“Everything that happens at the Celebrity Theatre is amazing," he said. "Looking back at it now, I think, ‘Wow, I was hanging out with Beyoncé when she wasn’t even that big. She was just part of this girl group.’ Being in on the initial stages of something that got so much bigger in the future, that was pretty cool.”

Reed Glick was the executive director of the Celebrity in 1999, and remembers how excited the young artists were.

“Four beautiful girls who couldn't have been kinder, sweeter or more lovely,” he said. “And they were so excited about doing this. It was a big deal for them because it was a major market. It was just an absolutely wonderful day.”

Glick agrees that Beyoncé clearly stood out as the star.

“I remember looking at Beyoncé going ‘My god, this is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen,” he said. “She was drop-dead absolutely beautiful and kind and smiling.”

And Glick felt that the show itself “couldn’t haven’t gone any better.”

'She's great with people, great with kids'

For St. James, the most memorable part of that concert was the way Beyoncé connected with fans.

“She was pleasant and gracious and loads of fun to deal with,” he said, adding that he was especially impressed with how she interacted with the listeners they brought backstage.

“She's great with people, great with kids,” he said. “I always look at things like that with artists, how they interact with fans. Are they stand-offish or do they embrace it? But she did a wonderful, wonderful job.”

He feels it's an important quality for an aspiring legend.

“This is part of the industry people don't want to acknowledge,” St. James said. “But there's a way you do things. You've gotta have the talent. You've gotta have the looks. You've gotta have the vision and the style that makes you unique. But if you are a horrible person, it makes it hard because it is a competitive industry.”

As to whether he could tell that he was in the presence of a future icon, St. James admitted. “If I lied to you, I'd tell you I have this ability to spot greatness in the future.”

But looking back, he can see all the signs now.

“Listen, there was no doubt that she was a phenomenal singer,” St. James said. “But it comes down to the total package. I will tell you she is absolutely striking. I was like, 'Wow.' And that doesn't hurt by any stretch because they were certainly selling that. She was a great face for this band. Whoever the other girls are in Destiny's Child, this is about Beyoncé. It begins and ends with her.”

Beyoncé Renaissance Tour at State Farm Stadium

Beyoncé, of course, went on to become one of the biggest pop stars in the history of the universe, releasing seven solo albums, all of which have topped the Billboard album charts. The Renaissance Tour is playing stadiums in support of last year's "Renaissance," the most acclaimed release of 2022, which earned the global icon four more Grammys, including Best Dance/Electronic Album. Here's what to know about her State Farm Stadium show.

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24.

Where: State Farm Stadium, 1 Cardinals Way, Glendale.

Admission: $51 and up.

Details: 800-745-3000, seatgeek.com.

Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @EdMasley.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Beyoncé's 1st Phoenix concert was one of her last with Destiny's Child