LIONEL RICHIE SERENADES RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL

If you grew up in the 70s or 80s, Lionel Richie was everywhere, whether he was getting funky with the Commodores or serenading you solo. His records post-80s were less successful although his compilation record, Tuskegee in 2012, comprised of his older songs re-imagined as duets hit #1 on the US charts. In the last couple of years, Richie has re-established himself in our collective consciousness as a judge on American Idol. His Hello Tour brought him to NYC for two nights at historic Radio City Music Hall on July 17th and 18th.

Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie merch

Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie started the show by swapping the first two songs from his previous show, kicking things off with “Running with the Night”, which immediately had the crowd up and dancing. The fans definitely leaned towards the older side, as expected, but that absolutely didn’t stop them from standing up and getting down if the song called for it.

Lionel Richie

As the night went along, it was incredible to realize that I knew the words to every single song. There were no B-sides, no throwaways; just hit after hit from Lionel Richie’s solo career or from the Commodores. Plus Richie sounds so good that, if I were to close my eyes, I would swear we were back in 1986 at MSG for his Dancing on the Ceiling tour!!

Lionel Richie

When Lionel Richie said that, for 35 yrs, Diana Ross has not accepted his invitation to join him on stage for “Endless Love,” and that we should welcome her with a big round of applause, the crowd went absolutely insane. But it was for naught since Richie was just sharing his same feeling of disappointment. Nevertheless, the ladies in the crowd joined him for the duet.

Lionel Richie

Richie concluded the show with “All Night Long,” once again bringing the crowd to its feet. What an amazing show and he made those 90 minutes feel much too fast. Lionel Richie’s US tour continues through the end of August so, if you haven’t had a chance to catch him yet, you still can and you won’t regret it!