Beyonce learned the Philly way.
You may recall back in 2001 when the Allen Iverson-led 76ers took on the Kobe Bryant and Shaq-led Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals and Destiny's Child had the honor of performing a halftime act for Philadelphia and its passionate fans.
The group made the distinct mistake of wearing gear not entirely dedicated to the Sixers while performing in South Philadelphia. Here's how MTV described the event on June 14, 2001:
At Wednesday’s NBA playoffs game, the Philadelphia team’s hometown crowd booed a halftime performance by the superstar trio, peeved by singer Michelle Williams’ jersey hyping 76ers opponents the Los Angeles Lakers.
The upset fans didn’t seem to take any solace in the fact that Kelly Rowland was clad in 76ers gear or that Beyoncé Knowles wore a top displaying “NBA” and both teams’ names.
Destiny’s Child’s Columbia Records publicist claimed the girls were obliging the NBA’s request for them to wear both Lakers and 76ers clothing. “Destiny’s Child agreed to wear the gear as a way of showing support for both teams and celebrating the spirit of the NBA championship series,” Yvette Noel-Schure said, reading from a statement.
Fast forward 14 years, a couple miles down Broad Street, and up the Ben Franklin Parkway to Saturday night's Made In America festival.
Beyonce learned how to win over a crowd.
Even Sixers' big man Nerlens Noel, who was apparently in attendance, was impressed.