ALL NIGHT LONG

By Rich Paschall on 09/03/2023 • ( 1 )

Lionel Richie review, by Rich Paschall

A friend of mine has a bucket list. One of his items is to see the legendary and iconic performers of our youth and in some cases from before that. Time is not on our side. Some of the great performers of the past are no longer touring, or no longer with us. Many who are still on tour come to Chicago. Recently Earth, Wind, and Fire opened for Lionel Richie at the United Center. This was definitely a “must-see” for my friend.

Earth, Wind, and Fire

Each act has a Chicago connection. Earth, Wind, and Fire (EWF) was formed in Chicago in 1969. Maurice White put together a group named Salty Peppers. This would be the basis of Earth, Wind and Fire. He soon asked his younger brother, Verdine White to join as their bassist. Verdine is the only founding member left. In the concert, they introduced White along with Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson as “original members.” The latter two joined in 1972. I guess if you are there for 50 years and for many of the hits, you can be considered an original.

The crowd was let into the United Center (UC) rather late and then they could not go into the arena. Word went around that the issue was late arriving equipment. If you have ever seen large-scale touring shows, you can appreciate the difficulty of moving such shows from venue to venue with multiple semi-trailers. If it took you all night to get out of a previous venue in a city hundreds of miles away, you can understand that the exhausted crew might be setting up late in the next arena, especially if it is the next day.

While we waited to be allowed to go to our seats in the next level up, we wandered around while considering whether or not to purchase an adult beverage for 15 US dollars. It was almost the scheduled showtime when they started letting people go to their seats. They were about a half hour behind when Earth, Wind, and Fire took the stage.

EWF has performed here many times and I have seen them before. They opened for Chicago some years ago and I enjoyed them. The 11 singers and musicians who took the stage in Chicago brought a well-rehearsed show. They did not disappoint their fans and played the radio hits you would remember from the 70s and 80s. Personally, I thought the vocals were not as tight as other times I had seen them. Perhaps that is due to the sound quality at the UC or perhaps it is due to aging performers. Nevertheless, the crowd enjoyed it and sang along to “September,” “Boogie Wonderland,” and others. The set lasted just over an hour.

Lionel Richie, United Center, Chicago

Hello, is it me you’re looking for?
‘Cause I wonder where you are and I wonder what you doAre you somewhere feeling lonely or is someone loving you?

The crowd was indeed looking for Lionel Richie. After a half-hour intermission, he took the stage. During the evening Richie told us he was a graduate of a Joliet institution, but not the same as a Joliet Jake. Since this is Chicago and we have all seen the Blues Brothers, we got the joke. Richie is a graduate of Joliet Township High School southwest of Chicago where he was a tennis star. He went on a tennis scholarship to Tuskegee Institute.

The veteran performer gave the crowd every hit in his repertoire. He even included “Endless Love,” a mega-hit duet with Diana Ross. He invited the women in the crowd to sing the Daina Ross parts. Many of them obliged. He also asked the crowd to sing with him on the song he wrote with Michael Jackson, “We Are The World.” He noted it is something we still need.

You would not guess Richie to be 74 years old. He showed boundless energy moving up and down the long runway. He sat at the piano just a few times. His set lasted a little over an hour and a half. That was a lot of non-stop action. Late in the show, he had us “Dancing on the Ceiling,” figuratively of course. He amped up the action and the funk for the Commodores hit, “Brickhouse.” He also brought dance music with “All Night Long.”

Sing A Song All Night Long Tour

All the memorable ballads were in the show. Like other performers his age, Richie could not hit all the high notes or hang on to some notes as long as he was able to do in the past. He knows how to present the numbers, however. His experience gave the show something young performers might not be able to do. He was there to sing with us, dance with us, and tell us stories through his songs. It was highly entertaining and my friend can check off another iconic performer on his list.