Lionel Richie, Earth Wind & Fire play All Night Long in DC

Soul music legends Richie snd Earth, Wind, and Fire are currently on a nationwide arena tour

It was a night packed with soul music in the at Capital One Arena in DC on Friday (Aug 18th). Two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers comprised this co-headline bill called the 2023 Sing A Song All Night Long Tour.

First up were Earth, Wind, and Fire (EWF). Phillip Baileyโ€™s legendary falsetto is still in pristine condition, some 50-plus years after EWF first mixed high harmonies and a funky groove. He stunned the crowd by reaching the edge of his multi-octave range on โ€œKalimba Storyโ€ without cracking.

But the showstopper was bass player Verdine White, brother of late lead singer and EWF founder Maurice White. Verdine felt every note he plucked out, taking center stage to let the music move him on a super fun solo. His infectious smile and silky hair reaching the back row.

EWFโ€™s set was a trip back to the 70โ€™s, with matching stage close and bell bottoms that would have been right at home back then. The band was clearly using costuming to communicate the timelessness of their music. another throwback. Rather than loop any element of their musicโ€”as has become too common a trendโ€”EWF has elected to travel with full percussion and horn sections. Of course, earworm โ€œSeptemberโ€ had everyone up and partying.

Early on in their set, Bailey told the DC crowd, โ€œYou embraced us first,โ€ way back when they were starting out. By the looks of it, the DMV has stayed loyal to the group for over half a century.

Lionel Richie emerged in a white band-leader type coat shortly after 9:15. Richieโ€™s charisma radiated from the first notes of โ€œHello,โ€ which the crowd sang back almost louder than the crooner himself.

Richie is one of only a handful of Motown-era artists still performing at the arena level. His songs have crossed from being soul music standards into being a part of American pop culture. Hear Richieโ€™s name and what comes to mind? Is it a moment with your lover listening to โ€œEasy,โ€ or is it that time you were three strong drinks in at a wedding and โ€œBrick Houseโ€ came on, your tie came off, and you got down on the dance floor? We all have a โ€œLionel Richie moment.โ€

This is something the Oscar-winner knows. Heโ€™s leaned into it for this tour, labeling it, โ€œSing along All Night Long.โ€ Every hit was present in the 20-song set, including a buoyant rendition of this reporterโ€™s favorite, โ€œDancinโ€™ on the Ceiling.โ€ (My Lionel Richie moment: โ€œDancinโ€™โ€ was my โ€œLincoln tunnel songโ€โ€”I listened to it every trip to NYC growing up. Iโ€™d start it when we hit the tunnel, and by the time we reached the other side, the song had hit its final note. A bus ride tradition. I know. Iโ€™m weird.)

Richieโ€™s vocals are timeless. Rich and buttery, yet knowing. His register plants his voice squarely in the middle. Not Luther Vandross low, nor Phillip Bailey high, itโ€™s the perfect voice for the emotions in songs like โ€œJust to Be Close to You,โ€ or the desire in โ€œAll Night Long.โ€

On this night however, Richie seemed to be plagued by audio issues with his microphone. There was a muffling affect that was nearly unbearable to listen to when he talked, and distorted is strong singing unnecessarily. Itโ€™s unclear if this was an intentional effect in the microphone, or the result of a blown subwoofer or speaker stack. Weโ€™ve reached out to Live Nation and Richieโ€™s team over Twitter for comment, and will follow up next week. (My endless curiosity needs to know what this was.) l am hoping it was an unfortunate glitch, with Richie pressing on as the pro he is.

Richie stopped down the show to talk to a young kid, telling him, โ€œwhat youโ€™re seeing is grown people losing their minds and acting crazy.โ€ He continued to joke, โ€œEverything they tell you not to do, theyโ€™re doing tonight.โ€ This observation was met with cheers and laughter.

Richie stacked the middle of his show with Commodore hits. โ€œFancy Dancerโ€ followed โ€œThree Times a Lady,โ€ and Richie said that โ€œZoomโ€ was written at a time when he wasnโ€™t sure which direction his life would take. Whatโ€™s clear is that several decades later, this music is still very personal for Lionel Richie.

The highlight of the night came in the last song of the main set, when Richie performed the storied USA for Africa charity single, โ€œWe Are the World.โ€ Itโ€™s a staple of his shows that, he once told CBS News, he considered โ€œMichael Jacksonโ€™s song.โ€ He said he felt it appropriate to pick up the mantle when Jackson passed. The song is in perfect hands to live on.

By the time Richie reached his seminal song, โ€œAll Night Long,โ€ it was clear that 20,000 people in DC would indeed be singing the rest of the night. For they had all had a โ€œLionel Richie momentโ€ with the man himself.

Matt Bailey
Matt Bailey

Matt Bailey is a media producer currently located in Washington, DC. He has worked as a writer, producer, and host in a variety of mediums including television news, podcasting, daytime television, and live entertainment. He joined The Music Universe in 2016. Since then, Bailey has traveled across the country to review hundreds of concerts and interview some of music's biggest hitmakers. Bailey truly believes in the unifying power of experiencing live music. To reach him, please email matt@themusicuniverse.com.