Concert Review

Ok, I admit it: I absolutely love Stevie Wonder. Considering the fact that I’m only twenty-five, most people think his music is slightly “before my time,” but I happen to disagree. I not only love his mixture of beautiful ballads and catchy, radio-friendly tunes, but also the fact that, even after all these years, he still knows how to deliver.

When I told my friend’s sister that we were attending the Stevie Wonder concert last Sunday, her response was, “Stevie Wonder? Isn’t that the blind guy? I thought he was dead?” It’s funny because when I tell people that I attended a Stevie Wonder concert, they either laugh, praise me, or have no idea the guy is still around. Well, judging from his performance last Sunday night, he is indeed still around and ready to give his audience its money’s worth.

When I arrived at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA the night of the show, I had never seen such a diverse audience (and I’ve been to a lot of shows). People of all ages, nationalities and social classes flooded the area. I guess it just goes to show that no matter what age you are or what your cultural background is, Stevie’s music appeals to all audiences. The Center was definitely at less than full capacity, but to be honest, it was actually nice to be able to venture up to the lawn, sit down and relax without worrying about someone trampling on you or spilling their beer on your lap.

Stevie kicked off the evening with several hits from his 1980 album Hotter than July, which included “As If You Read My Mind,” “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” (one of my favorites… especially live since the reggae-funk beat gets the audience up and dancing) and “Did I Hear You Say You Love Me?” all while his 13-piece band cranked out behind him. Although these songs were all great, I have to say that the best part of the evening was during my all-time favorite R&B ballad, “Ribbon in the Sky.” Stevie delivered it with an elegant, graceful beauty and ended it with a challenging vocal run.

Another highlight of the evening when was he brought daughter Aisha Morris on stage while he performed “Isn’t She Lovely,” a song that was obviously written for the 33 year-old who was first heard as the giggling baby on the album version of the track. Now, all grown up, Aisha stood next to her father as he belted out the song with his harmonica in tow.

There were plenty of other impressive highs: “Higher Ground,” “Living in the City,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” “Sure Duke” and “Do I Do.” Surprisingly, he avoided his most popular song, “I Just Called To Say I Love You”… why I’ll never know. Granted, it’s a overplayed and maybe a little cheesy to some, but it’s still one of my favorites.

To wrap up the evening, KISS 108’s DJ Romeo made his appearance on stage (mind you, KISS 108 hasn’t played a Stevie Wonder song in God only knows how many years), along with a contest winner who was awarded the chance to sing with Stevie. They ended the evening with an extended version of “Superstition” while the contest winner sat at the piano with him and sang. Ironically, Stevie had to coach her through the words of the song, which was sort of humorous. At first, I thought the big screen TV’s were delayed and that’s why it appeared she was singing the words a few seconds too late, but I later confirmed that she did in fact need a bit of lyric coaching.

All in all, it doesn’t matter what age bracket or social category you fall into, if you’re a Stevie fan, you’re a Stevie fan for life. Even though the guy is almost sixty-years-old, he’s put himself into the same category as rock elders Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger: the category that proves that age ain’t nothing but a number. Even after all these years, Stevie Wonder’s still got it.