Surgery for a bum knee may have delayed Lionel Richie’s much-anticipated Tampa appearance, but the 68-year-old adult contemporary superstar and former Commodore more than made up for it in front of 12,000 screaming fans on Friday night as his 35-date “All The Hits” tour finally rolled into Amalie Arena.
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Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey reschedule their Amalie Arena date to August 11
Opener Mariah Carey was a welcome addition, and while the jaw-dropping, one-of-a-kind voice that catapulted her to fame in the 90s has faded a notch, Carey operating at half-power is still 1000 times better than most everyone else at their best. On paper, Carey — who is approaching her 50s — probably doesn’t have to tour anymore, but what artist could actually resist the need to prove herself every night in front of thousands of adoring fans (many of whom probably shed a tear during a warm, nostalgic take on her 1993 megahit “Hero”). A few costume changes made for a cheerful set, but the pleasure took on new life once Richie — decked out in a platinum jacket — opened the show with the familiar opening piano stabs and playful growls of “Easy.” The cut — which peaked at no. 4 for the Commodores — was the first of many singalong moments during a 100-minute evening that was long on toothy smiles, sweat (how many black towels did Richie go through?) and a truckload of humor.
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Playlist: Listen to every song Lionel Richie played at Amalie Arena on August 11
“I gotta tell you all something Tampa. I was at the meet and greet and a 275-pound man looked at me and told me that he’s made love to me many times,” Richie joked after a slow-burning take on “You Are” (which hit no. 1 on Billboard’s adult contemporary charts back in ‘83).
“I told him no,” Richie added, “but then his wife chimed in and said, ‘yes we did — I was there!’”
It was kind of cute to see a room full of boomers lose its shit after the punchline for a joke like that, and the sentiment was definitely true considering the number of young kids (presumably conceived while “Stuck On You” played in the background) in the diverse, multicultural crowd.
The cross generational appeal of Richie and his songbook is probably the most underrated thing about the showman. At one point, before moving into the easy-listening staple “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” Richie told the crowd that he took credit for anything that’s ever happened to them.
“You got engaged. You got married,” he laughed while seated at a piano that would pop out from the stage, “but you came by me. I bless you children!”
And that’s so very true.
Even without us knowing it, Richie is a part of all of our lives. No solo male artist, except maybe Michael Jackson, Bowie or Prince (both of whom Richie saved a quiet moment in Friday night’s set for), has been more influential across such a wide swath of the global population. Songs like “Hello” and the ridiculously catchy chorus of “Sail On” are tunes to live life by. They remind of us of our friends, singing loud in cars — and they create memories that get us through lonelier days (he really does bring us up when we're down!).
Losing grip of the memorable moments from Friday night’s set will be the sad part of the days to come. Who really wants to forget jokes about sippy cups, the sight of Richie standing proudly with his hand on his hip or the way Richie’s impeccable ‘stache sits perfectly on a still very sexy face (it’s gotta be the joy you can see in his eyes though)?
There’s a line in “Say You, Say Me” that says “As we go down life's lonesome highway/Seems the hardest thing to do is to find a friend or two.”
Life is really strange these days, and it can get hard to remember who really has your back, but at least we still have songs like Richie’s to get us through the night — and all night if we really need them to.
Have a look at more photos from the show below, and listen to songs from the show here.
Setlist
Easy
Running With The Night / Wonderland Avenue (White Horse)
Penny Lover
Truly
You Are
Stuck On You
Dancing On the Ceiling
Three Times A Lady
Don’t Wanna Lose You
Sail On
Sweet Love
Lady (You Bring Me Up)
Just to Be Close To You
Brick House
Fire
Hello
Say You Say Me
We Are The World
—
All Night Long
