By Q. McElroy

All hail Queen B! At least they did Wednesday night, when powerhouse performer Beyonce entranced a sold-out Philips Arena (photos). Who else can drive toddlers, tweens, club divas and soccer moms into a mass frenzy?

Beyonce shows Atlanta how to shake her tailfeathers. (Robb D. Cohen)

From the moment B claimed the stage with openers “Crazy In Love” and “Naughty Girl”, the energy hovered like static cling on your favorite “Freakum Dress.” She and her all-female band and backup dancers charged through sets like superhuman fembots (a handful of chilseled male dancers later joined the mix).

Whether uptempo or not, Beyonce’s powerful vocals raged through the air. Early on, she slowed things down to remind us of her awkward “Malibu Wedding Barbie” moment from the BET Awards last Sunday. But here, the white bathing suit, veil and sheer, fur-lined skirt seemed angelic (she even performed Sarah McLachlan’s “In the Arms of an Angel” to prove it).

Video clips and mixtapes continued to ease us through the short costume breaks, filled with funny or inspiring clips. Some of the best were of her as a flirty 5-year-old shimmying in the living room as well as footage of the Obamas during inauguration, where B sang the Etta James classic “At Last.”
When Beyonce morphed into a Mad Max biker chic, complete with light-up bikini, she explained, “I’m all about female empowerment … We need to support each other.” Then she broke into the ultimate Independent Woman anthem, “Me, Myself and I.” There were nods to other strong women in the industry, including B’s renditions of songs by Alanis Morisette and Jamaica’s Dawn Penn (”You Don’t Love Me”). Atlanta’s own shoulder-playing guitarist Divinity Roxx took the stage and backup singers The Mommas made us want to rush out to buy one of those “body shapers” everyone is selling.

The glitzy, high-tech robotic fantasy didn’t stop as B transitioned to her alter-ego Sasha Fierce. She took flight in waves of flowing gold fabric as she made her way, with a few midair flips, to a more intimate stage in the middle of the floor. Here, she really tried to interact with the arena, pointing out details of fans’ outfits and accessories. She even used one fan’s name when singing “Say My Name.”

We can only imagine reports of her tireless work ethic are true because she and her dancers continued to flawlessly plow through hits like “Irreplaceable” (complete with mass crowd participation directing invisible exes “to the left, to the left”), “Check up on It” and “Single Ladies” (just after a fun video montage of YouTube fans trying to do it. Lol!).

Back on the main stage, she turned the lovely ballad “Halo” into a Michael Jackson tribute: “We miss you. We love you. We thank you for all the memories.”

If there were any complaints, it’s that the finale – singing “Happy birthday” to fans – felt jarring. Still, the true testament to Beyonce’s talent is that even without the neon lights and Tina Turner tailfeathers, she has unfailing vocal prowess that is the key to her longevity. As one fan noted, “She’s been preparing for this all of her life.”