Concert Review: Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire at The Moody Center

The final night of the co-headlining ‘Sing a Song All Night Long’ tour featured memorable performances from two iconic legacy acts, complete with stellar instrumentals and comedic monologues.

Written by Valeria Mota

Photo courtesy of Barry Brecheisen

On August 14, the Moody Center was rampant with enthusiastic Gen Xers along with a dash of young kids not knowing exactly what was going on and who stayed close to their parents. That night, the Austin arena was a time machine to an era of soul, funk, disco, and R&B hits as it hosted the ‘Sing a Song All Night Long’ tour, featuring dual-headlining performances from Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire. The two iconic artists joined forces for a feel-good, communal show centered on fun and letting each other's differences shine, with Earth, Wind & Fire’s cosmic showmanship and Richie’s suave stage presence.

An ominous 10-minute timer counted down Earth, Wind & Fire’s entrance at 7:30 p.m. on the dot, followed by a psychedelic sequence of the band’s illustrious career. The montage not only set the scene for the group’s performance, but also established what the audience already knew: Earth, Wind & Fire is a legacy act for a reason, and they should be treated as such. This fact was only highlighted as the remaining original members of the band — vocalist Ralph Johnson, bassist and founder Verdine White, and leading vocalist Philip Bailey — strutted out onto the Moody Center stage decked out in glittery black and gold outfits, with a coolness gained from over 50 years of stage experience.

Opening the set with the charismatic “Shining Star,” the horn section got its first of many “shining” moments of the night; trumpeter Bobby Burns Jr. heralded the song’s introduction, hitting a note so crisp it was bound to elicit chills in the audience. While the original band members swayed casually, the palpable energy and genuine fun from the younger vocalists, Oshun Shango Oshunde and Philip Bailey Jr. — yes, son of the frontman himself — and the rest of the supporting band bridged the gap between the primarily Gen X crowd and the younger audience members.

The rest of the set contained back-to-back faithful renditions of Earth, Wind & Fire’s greatest hits, with instrumentals as natural as the band’s name; the quality from White’s bass smoothly integrated into the sharp horn section, allowing the crowd to fully appreciate each instrument individually while marvelling at how they end up blending together to create such beloved tracks. Barreling through tunes like “Let Your Feelings Show” and “System of Survival,” frontman Bailey settled into a groove for the luscious “Serpentine Fire,” unwaveringly hitting his signature falsetto notes.

“How many real Earth, Wind & Fire fans are here tonight?” Bailey asked, met with enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. He happily explained that while they’ll be sure to play their top 10 hits, the group would also be playing the songs that hit top 10 “in our hearts.” With that, the band launched into the tour’s title track, “Sing a Song,” completed with Bailey Jr. hitting a drum cymbal with his head, and the audience inevitably joined in on the fun by matching White and Johnson’s light swaying and clapping.

An overpowering characteristic of Earth, Wind & Fire’s set was its tightness — the band quickly moved between hits as if they were in a slight rush, not allowing audience members to fully bask in each song’s funky glory. That didn’t stop the crowd — and the band itself — to enjoy the performance though; the groovy Beatles cover of “Got to Get You Into My Life” showcased White’s intricate bass, his fingers sprawling across the strings like spiders weaving a web, while the intimate “Reasons” and “After the Love Has Gone” once again displayed Bailey’s effortless falsetto.

The mellow “That’s the Way of the World” and fast-paced “Fantasy” further juxtaposed the original members’ coolness with Bailey Jr.'s and Oshunde’s hungry, young energy. Finally, the band immediately transitioned into the songs the audience was clearly waiting for, kicking off with “Boogie Wonderland.” Though Oshunde tried to appease a younger crowd member with a slightly cringe-worthy Fortnite Hype move during the song, the three remaining tracks went on without a hitch, with “Let’s Groove” exhibiting the backing band’s technical prowess while each member introduced themselves. Naturally, the three remaining original members garnered the biggest applause from the Austin crowd. 

Closing out with the iconic “September,” Earth, Wind & Fire sealed their tight 59-minute set, reminding the audience of their staying power with timeless tracks and an electric atmosphere. The group transported the crowd to the heights of their career, and the audience gratefully followed their lead. That tangible energy only stayed for the tour’s co-headliner, singer-songwriter Lionel Richie.

Photo courtesy of Alex Kluft

Though the set started with the iconic yet somber “Hello” at 9:34 p.m., Richie’s happiness was still evident from the start. The Grammy-winning performer was grinning ear-to-ear throughout his entire set, exhibiting his conversational vocals with a charming ease. The instant change of pace into “Running With The Night” suited Richie’s contagious demeanor, rounded out by guitarist Ben Mauro’s expected yet impressive solo as the accompanying pyrotechnics startled some of the older members of the crowd.

While Earth, Wind & Fire decidedly raced through its songs, Richie had cruised between songs to interact with the audience, revealing his innate talent — and possibly secret dream — as a stand-up comic. The audience could only fall in love with Richie as he earnestly confided with the crowd about his struggles with dehydration and his love-hate relationship with electrolytes, while still taking a moment to appreciate the last night of the tour. He then eased into a sprightly version of the Commodores’ “Easy,” displaying his chops on a grand white piano before jumping into a grandiose version of “Stuck On You.” Of course, both renditions featured a seemingly mandatory guitar solo from Mauro after the second chorus, complete with funny monologues and audience interactions from Richie between each track.

What followed was a musical rollercoaster as Richie transitioned from the heavenly “Sail On,” the lovely “You Are,” and an extended version of the hyper-energetic “Dancing on the Ceiling,” easily the most vibrant song of the night. From there, the singer kicked off a Commodores medley, progressing between “Three Times A Lady,” “Fancy Dancer,” and “Lady (You Bring Me Up).” While many performers often shy away from singing their earlier tracks, Richie didn’t falter in singing songs from the band that established him as a suave musician, emphasizing his silky tenor and magnetic stage presence.

After another endearing electrolyte break, the 80’s icon sang a track featuring his late friend Kenny Rogers, “Lady.” Rogers’ performance of the song played on the screen behind Richie while Richie faced and sang back to the recording, clearly becoming emotional.

“That is the hardest song to sing… I miss [Rogers] a lot,” Richie confessed. He pointed to a crowd member on the first row and jokingly told her she had to get herself together: “I’m crying, you’re crying… Kenny just messed everybody up.”

Richie further showcased his comedic chops while introducing the Diana Ross-assisted track, “Endless Love.” He explained how he always begged Ross to sing the song with him on tour, but she was always “on a boat” somewhere in the French Riviera. However, during the performance, Ross’ absence was not felt; instead, Richie strengthened his bond with the crowd by telling them to sing Ross’ part, then marvelling at how there were “15,000 Diana Rosses” in the audience.

After an extended, spiky rendition of the Commodores’ “Brick House,” paired with overwhelming fire shooting from the stage, Richie transformed from a stand-up comedian into a preacher. The earnest singer expressed his desire for the world outside of the arena to be “as happy and joyous as we are,” emphasizing the intertwining of culture among the audience and reveling in the wonders of the human race as an introduction to the hopeful “We Are The World.” What could have been seen as a corny monologue by cynics was actually a down-to-earth, heartfelt declaration of compassion, only heightened by Richie’s undeniable crowd control.

Richie exited the stage for a quick break before the encore, the legendary “All Night Long.” Donning his final jacket of the night, a red leather number bedazzled with the song’s title on the back, the captivating performer closed the night with irresistible excitement, accompanied by an even more excited crowd. As the song concluded at 10:36 p.m., Richie held out his arms to the audience, soaking in the last night of a successful 26-show tour before strutting off the stage.

The three-hour supershow left the crowd buzzing with an energy unique to Earth, Wind & Fire’s exciting instrumentals and Richie’s endearing crowd interactions. The Moody Center time machine and the dual-headlining tour may have completed its trip back to the late 20th century, but fans were left enamored with both of the acts; they undoubtedly could have kept on singing a song all night long.