The tour was originally supposed to feature Beyoncé Knowles along with Ashanti, Monica, Mýa and Mary J. Blige; however, scheduling conflicts prevented these four women from being available.

[9] Upon the tour's announcement, and with tabloid speculation of a three-way "rivalry" between the artists, Beyoncé dispelled these rumors, saying that all three women were already good friends and there would be no competitive energies, on-stage or off.

Neil Drumming of Entertainment Weekly thought Keys was the most "radiant" performer of the evening at the Office Depot Center in Florida; he felt "Her old-school references charmed, and her clap-along 'How Come You Don't Call Me' obliterated the CD version.

[14] Unlike the aforementioned reviews, Steve Hammer (of the newspaper NUVO) was not impressed with the show at Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse, feeling the concert to be "inconsequential".

He remarked, "If Muhammad Ali had been at Madison Square Garden Monday night, no doubt he would've found something to pound like a drum as he yelled, 'The champ is here!

That's exactly the aura Beyoncé gave off as she began her closing set of the Verizon Ladies First Tour, which also features Alicia Keys, Missy Elliott and Tamia".

"Fittingly, she started with 'Heartburn', shaking her body like Ike-era Tina Turner, causing a sudden rise in blood pressure among the men in the audience.

[19] Jennifer Wood, of the East Valley Tribune, enjoyed the show at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, saying, "From the moment Elliott appeared on stage wearing a black suit covered in rhinestones to Beyoncé's exit nearly four hours later, the audience rarely sat as it ogled three of the most celebrated female talents in hip-hop and R&B".

[20] The San Francisco Chronicle's Neva Chonin said the concert at The Arena in Oakland—which featured Carlos Santana as a guest—proved why Beyoncé is a star, saying, "In a time of assembly-line pop icons, she manages to infuse her packaged performance with charisma and genuine talent.