Lionel Richie and Earth Wind & Fire at Climate Pledge Arena

A capacity crowd was on hand for a fantastic evening of incredible music as co-headliners Lionel Richie and Earth Wind & Fire brought the Sing A Song All Night Long Tour to the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA.

Though many in attendance were long time fans of both musical acts, there were some in attendance who were at the show with the children and grandchildren – many seeing either or both artists for the first time.

The concert started promptly at 7:30PM with the legendary Earth Wind and Fire taking the stage. They are famously known for their jazzy R&B soul funk disco pop style of music, which is chock full of catchy melodies, chorus, & rhythms complimented by incredible vocal harmonies. EW&F has had an incredible career spanning over five decades and features three of the remaining founding members – Philip Baily (vocals & percussion), Verdine White (bass), and Ralph Johnson (vocals & percussion).

EW&F opened their set with “Shining Star”, and they performed a seventy-minute set that featured all the hits such as “Sing A Song”, “Reasons”, “That’s The Way of the World”, “Fantasy”, “Boogie Wonderland”, “September” and “In the Stone”.

After a short intermission, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and American Idol judge Lionel Richie opened his near ninety-minute set with “Hello” and quickly jumped into “Running with The Night”. With a set mostly comprised of songs from his time with the Commodores, along with other songs he has performed as a solo artist, Richie put on a stellar performance. Throughout the evening, Richie engaged with the audience, sharing the inspiration or stories behind the music as well as jokingly stating that if “Brick House” had been written today, he’d be in jail.

He gave a soulful performance during his rendition of “We Are the World” – whom he had co-written with the late Michael Jackson. According to Richie the song is about unity which is just as important today.

Richie’s Set was nostalgic and brought back a lot of great memories. Though he may have started a little rough, he sounded better as the evening progressed. The musicianship and the performance of his touring band was top notch.

It was a great night for an evening of awesome music by legendary performers and if you have a chance to catch this tour as it comes your area, it is a show you do not want to miss.

Lionel Richie Setlist
Hello
Running with the Night
Easy / My Love
Truly
Stuck on You
Sail On – (Commodores song)
You Are
Dancing on the Ceiling – (Snippet of Van Halen’s “Jump”)
Three Times a Lady – (Commodores song)
Fancy Dancer / Sweet Love / Lady (You Bring Me Up) – (Commodores song)
Just to Be Close to You – (Commodores song)
Zoom – (Commodores song)
Endless Love – (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie cover)
Brick House / Fire
Still – (Commodores song)
Say You, Say Me
We Are the World – (USA for Africa cover)

Encore:
All Night Long (All Night)

Earth Wind & Fire Setlist
Shining Star
Let Your Feelings Show
Serpentine Fire
Verdine White Bass Solo
Sing a Song
Got to Get You Into My Life – (The Beatles cover)
Departure – Song played from tape
Reasons
After the Love Has Gone – (David Foster cover)
That’s the Way of the World – (With band introductions)
Fantasy
Boogie Wonderland
Let’s Groove
September
In the Stone