Live (DVD)

Lionel Richie

Island Def Jam, 2007

http://lionelrichie.com

REVIEW BY: Mark Millan

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 08/15/2009

The ‘80s really was a make-or-break decade.  Some folks became superstars, while others – mainly those hungover from the distant and dark ‘70s – became obsolete.  Lionel Richie became a superstar, largely on the back of his inoffensive but criminally catchy pop gems from his first three solo albums.  His self-titled debut released in 1982 saw him successfully break away from The Commodores, spawning three top 5 singles in “Truly,” “You Are,” and “My Love.”

His follow-up release would become one of the decade’s most loved and played albums.  Can’t Slow Down was a perfect blend of catchy, funk-inspired pop songs and Richie’s by-now trademark love songs.  The album spent all of 1984 in the Billboard Top Ten, all the while sending five of its eight songs to the singles Top Ten charts.  Three times a charm?  For Lionel it was as his third solo LP 1986’s Dancing On The Ceiling that kept the sales skyrocketing and the hits coming in astonishing numbers.  With four more Top Ten singles and new videos for the ever-hungry MTV crowd, Richie cemented his place in the decade as one of pop’s most celebrated and bankable artists. 

His output in recent years has seen him tackle the dance pop and R&B of modern times, with varying degrees of success.  A couple of years back, his wisest decision was to go back out on the road and tour a Greatest Hits show for the fans.  This DVD captures the tour during its European leg in Paris and finds Richie and his band in awesome form.  All the hits are represented with much love and fanfare, and for the diehards, some classic Commodore material sneaks into the latter half of the set with ease.

The show opens with the two lead singles from his last two albums: “Just For You” gets the job done, though I could do without “I Call It Love.”  However, it’s the hits that everyone wants to hear, and Richie wastes no time in delivering just that.  A majestic seven-minute version of “Easy” has the crowd in raptures, jut as it should.  For good measure, Richie throws in a chorus of “My Love” before thrilling the crowd again with “Ballerina Girl,” a beautiful song in anyone’s language.  Another mega-selling ballad, “Stuck On You” is delivered with soul and flair before the band brings the house down with a show-stopping, blistering rendition of “Dancing On The Ceiling.”my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

New track “All Around The World” sits quite comfortably between two more hits in “Three Times A Lady” and the feel good funk of “Sela.”  Richie prompts the ladies in the house to take the Diana Ross part of “Endless Love,” which, of course, they’re more than happy to do.  He then eases through Commodore specials like “Sail On,” “Lady (You Bring Me Up),” and “Brick House.”  The band races through “Fancy Dancer” to allow Richie a short break and shirt change before returning to the stage and closing out what is a fantastic show.

His much-maligned (mainly for the unforgettable video) ballad “Hello” is here in it’s original form, and the crowd once again sings along, unprompted, but to the sheer delight of Mr. Richie.  I have to say, there’s a great rapport between Richie and his audience on display here, one I’m sure many of his contemporaries would envy.  A medley of “Don’t Stop,” “Angel,” and “Destiny” follows, and by this time, the crowd is so well and truly punch drunk on Richie’s soulful gems that they resort to chanting their ovations.

Richie is an expert showman, an old pro, and so saving two of his very best to close out the show is a no-brainer.  “Say You, Say Me” gives the band another chance to flex their considerable muscle, and it’s always a nice surprise when a song works even better live than on record.  Of course, the show ends with the full version of “All Night Long.”  It’s an iconic song and the perfect choice to cap off what has been an exceptional display of how great pop can sound when it’s done right.  Richie’s band is worked in like a well-oiled machine but they are never machinelike, delivering every song with soul and surprising power.

As for Lionel himself, he is a master entertainer; he knows what his fans want and is more than happy to let them have it.  His easygoing nature, friendly banter, and natural charisma all make it impossible not to like him.  Maybe it’s because he’s such a loveable kind of guy that he can pull off stuff like “Hello” where perhaps others couldn’t.

This is a fantastic DVD in all aspects; it looks and sounds great and is expertly edited.  So if you love your 1980’s pop stars, then this is a must-have, because Lionel is one of the daddies of ‘80s pop and he still does it so well. 

There is, however, one thing that I’m still no wiser about.  I’ve been to enough parties to know what goes down, but I’ve never seen nor heard of anyone “liming.”  So if anyone knows, please let me in, ’cause I feel I’ve been missing out on something big, very big.

Rating: A-

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© 2009 Mark Millan and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Island Def Jam, and is used for informational purposes only.