Lionel Richie review – larger-than-life legend delivers a lesson in charm
A video montage of Richie's 50-year career and perfect 'tache drives the point home. Tonight is about legacy – not just the Grammys and multi-platinum hits which made Richie's name, but the way that songs such as Truly and the Commodores' Three Times a Lady have become intertwined with people's lives. 'I'll just fit myself in best I can,' he booms, laughing.
He has joyful chemistry with his band, and together they put plenty of polish on Richie's trophy cabinet of hits. Dancing on the Ceiling is glittery and buoyant, veering into Van Halen's Jump before some surprisingly gritty guitar shredding. Brick House is raw and funky, with Richie slinking left to right with the band in tow, like a matured T-Birds. Sometimes the band (and the audience) overpower his glorious, buttery voice, but he ad-libs and riffs and ends every song with a proud, showbizzy 'yeah!' – even tender, cinematic ballads such as Endless Love.
Perhaps that montage skirted dangerously close to an In Memoriam – lots of dry ice, photos of Richie looking angelic against a night sky – but, at 75, the man himself is larger than life. He puts in a tight five between most songs, riffing on Scotland's bad weather, and implores the audience to feel empathy for refugees and immigrants: 'Those people, they're us,' he urges. 'You would do the same for your family.'
This Hits tour shows us Richie on cruise control, but radiant nonetheless. He struts up and down the thrust stage, laser-focused on making the furthest corners of the Hydro feel special, and if anyone's earned the right to lean on charm, surely it's Richie. Tonight feels breezy rather than electric, and even a soaring, hip-shaking encore of All Night Long is homely rather than thrilling. A night of few fireworks, perhaps, but full of deep love and mutual appreciation. Such worn-in comfort takes decades to get just right.
Lionel Richie's Say Hello to the Hits tours the UK and Europe until August
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