Stevie Wonder ~ Greek Theatre 9/5/07 ~ A Wonder Summer’s Night

I always said Stevie Wonder was one of those “must see’s” in my lifetime and as the years go by and concerts remain a steady for me, luckily my list keeps getting smaller.

As I took in the show last night, I couldn’t help but image what seeing Stevie was like back in the day, cause at age 57, he’s still bringing it and bringing it hard. I was a little apprehensive as to what kind of material he’d be playing on this tour, the first since ’95, but after the celebration at the Greek last night, I realized I was witnessing one of the greatest performers of our time, and one definitely not past his prime.

The show started out a bit on the mellow side with some slower less familiar tunes but once Stevie and his 11 piece back-up band got it going with Higher Ground- it was on.

One of the best things about last night was watching Stevie seamlessly weave his way in and out of his familiar and funky songs ala Boogie On, Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing, Sir Duke and Superstition to effortlessly laying down the soft grooves of his ballads including Golden Lady, My Cherie Amour, Isn't She Lovely and You Are the Sunshine of My Life, all while telling stories and encouraging love and to be the best one can be. The show itself felt like one giant (but funky) love letter to his audience and looking around the venue, it was apparent the feeling was mutual.

The highlight of the night for me was the audience interaction he created during both Ribbon in the Sky and Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours). It wasn’t the usual sing-a-long by any means during Ribbon, but rather he took it to the next level by giving the ladies a line to sing while giving the men a piece of harmony. Combined together it became an organic extension of the song as he modernized the familiar tune and made it entirely new. After a killer version of Signed, Sealed, Delivered, he joked how with a few minor tweaks, the song could easily fit into the Country genre, and after laughing about it, he demonstrated exactly that by making it twangy and fit for a hoe-down while encouraging the audience to test his theory out by belting out the line along with him, with heavy emphasis on pronouncing Yours the non-Stevie-hick way of “Yores”.

On top of all the classic originals, we were also treated to 2 covers- Memphis by Chuck Berry as he paid homage to Berry’s heavy influence in his music and Nat King Cole’s When I Fall in Love, which was sung by the daughter of a recently deceased friend whose last wish was to have his daughter sing his favorite song on stage at the Greek with his dear friend Stevie. Definitely one of the most touching and heart felt moments of the night.

As if the music wasn’t enough, he delighted the crowd by sharing some personal stories, my favorite being the origin of My Cherie Amour, which he explained he wrote and debuted backstage at setbreak during a show for a girl he was smitten with, after she repeatedly turned down his offer to meet him in a hotel room (which btw, she finally gave in... but brought her mother). I never would have thought I’d call Stevie Wonder sexy, but with his inviting charm, lively story telling and savory pipes, he had me thinking just that. Oh yeah- did I mention he also plays the keys?

Yup, he’s still got it. And with that, I can cross him off the list.


9/5/05
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

Love's in Need of Love Today
Too High
Visions
Living For the City
Master Blaster (Jammin')
Higher Ground
Golden Lady
Ribbon in the Sky
Overjoyed
Can't Imagine Love Without You > You and I > Lately > How Will I Know (with Aisha Morris)
Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (country style)
Memphis (by Chuck Berry)
Boogie On Reggae Woman
My Cherie Amour
When I Fall in Love (by Nat Cole/with Anita Johnson)
I Wish > Sir Duke > Isn't She Lovely > You Are the Sunshine of My Life (medley)
Superstition
I Just Called to Say I Love You (segment)
Another Star