Having being lucky enough to have seen most bands and singers still alive that I want to see there are only a few acts left on what I call my bucket list of a concert wish list. Topping that list for a long time was Stevie Wonder and finally that dream came true on June 24th 2010. When it was initially announced in April that Stevie was finally making a return to our shores I had tears in my eyes.
As I headed down to The O2 on Thursday evening extremely excited I had an underlying fear of could Stevie live up to my expectations. Arriving at The O2 I was delighted to see I would be at the top of the queue for my entrance as a coveted barrier spot was my desired location. Due to an extended sound check we had a delay of about 20 minutes before entering the venue. I could see some of this through a tiny window but due to good insulation no sound came out to greet us! Finally the doors were open and I very happy to see that our entrance opened first which meant I was the first person to enter the building and had my choice of position along the barrier at the stage! I choose to stand at the gap between Stevie’s keyboard and grand piano. I knew I’d miss seeing some of the band that would be behind him but at least I’d have a great view of Stevie himself.
Finally it was 8pm and we knew that now it wouldn’t be long until we would have a living legend standing before us singing the songs we know and love so well. At approximately 8.20pm this wait was over and Stevie was guided to a certain spot on the stage, he then unaided worked his way to the front of the stage. Right from the start Stevie was totally on form giving a brilliant performance of Master Blaster which he wrote as a tribute to Bob Marley. Dressed in a striking blue African inspired outfit with his trademark sunglasses and dreadlocks Stevie looked great and had a huge smile across his face for most of the night. There were lots of interaction with the crowd from the start and lots of opportunities for a sing-along. The band and backing singers were excellent and included percussionists, guitarists, a drummer, a bass player, keyboard players, sax players and 3 backing singers. For the latter parts of the gig the backing singers were also dancers. The Dublin Gospel Choir came out on stage for the last song of the night and the delight on their faces at being there was plain to see although Stevie didn’t really utilise them to best that he could have done.
It is actually very hard to pick highlights from this concert as nearly every song is a highlight for some reason or other! However my personal highlight would have to be for the audience reaction to Stevie after Living for the City and the tribute to Michael Jackson which followed this. I’ve been to a lot of concerts but never before had I felt such love from an audience for an artist than I did at that moment on Thursday night. All around the venue people were cheering and chanting “Stevie, Stevie.......” I actually became quite emotional during that moment. When it lead into Stevie playing Michael Jackson’s Human Nature on harmonica with one of the backing singers singing parts of the song I had tears streaming down my face. It was a beautiful tribute to The King of Pop on the eve of the first anniversary of his death.
Another of my favourite moments was when Stevie miraculously changed his voice back to when he was a child to play his very first number one hit from when he was 12 years old by appearing to drink a magic potion. Fingertips’ is an upbeat up-tempo song that was made to be played live and was originally released as a live record. It was great seeing Stevie dance while he sang this song. Having watched many of the videos of his songs on YouTube it was plain to see that he is as full of energy and fun now as he was in the 1960’s/70’s. He was even unashamedly flirting with one of his backing singers at one stage telling her to move in closer and wrap her arms around him!
Other musical highlights included sublime performances of Superstition, Uptight, Sir Duke, Signed Sealed Delivered, I Wish and My Cherie Amour. I could possibly list every song he played as everything he played was wonderful. He came out on stage playing a keytar and also played keyboards, grand piano and of course harmonica all to an excellent standard. His vocals are amazing and have the same power now as they did 30/40 years ago. No matter how constructive I try to be I can honestly say I cannot fault this gig in any way. I do admit I would have loved to have heard him play Part Time Lover as it is my favourite of all his songs. However the calibre of what he did play more than made up for that.
I reluctantly left The O2 at the end of the gig knowing I’d fulfilled a dream but wanting that dream to continue. Any fears I had before the gig were unfounded. Stevie lived up to every expectation and more besides. He truly is one of the greats and I’ll be eternally grateful I was lucky enough to have seen him perform live.
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