The Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind, and Fire concert tonight August 12, 2023, has been postponed. The new date is Monday, August 14, 2023. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Or something like that. I was in such shock that I cannot remember exactly what the announcement said.
My Love For Lionel Richie
The Commodores. Oh. My. God.
From dance hits like “Brick House” and “Lady (You Bring Me Up)” to soulful ballads such as “Still,” “Easy,” and “Sail On,” the Commodores’ music was part of the soundtrack to my childhood.
Then came Lionel Richie, the solo artist. Every song brings me back to a moment in my high school years.
When I hear “You Are,” I am on a lounge chair in Florida singing the words out loud with my teenage bestie.
“All Night Long” gets me up and dancing every time. I watched that video back in the MTV days at least a million times.
“Truly” was slow dancing at a Sweet 16. “Hello” still reminds me of my high school boyfriend.
I adore Lionel Richie.
Sing a Song All Night Long Tour – Lionel Richie And Earth, Wind, and Fire
Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind, and Fire were going on tour together! My love for Lionel is immense, and Earth, Wind, and Fire are another all-time favorite. I had to see this!
I wrote in my high school friends‘ group chat (I am so very lucky to still have an amazing friendship with these women I grew up with). Who better to see these artists with?
Shockingly, I only got one yes response, but from my bestie who lives out in NJ with me. We bought the tickets and even got pretty good seats. We were all set, and I couldn’t have been more excited.
The concert was set for August 12, 2023, at 7:30 in Madison Square Garden, an easy train ride from our homes. We got in a little early to take in the experience.
We ate giant pretzels with cans of wine (yes, they only had cans, but it wasn’t that bad) and then took our seats.
We waited and waited and waited. No Lionel. No Earth, Wind, and Fire. I kept saying it was taking an unusually long time for them to go on, but my bestie argued that artists always go on late.
Then an announcement came on. I jumped up, eager to hear the concert begin. But it didn’t. There was only confusion when the entire audience heard that we would not see a show that night due to the weather. It was postponed for 48 hours.
Wait, What??
Everyone in the crowd just looked at each other. It was one hour AFTER showtime. Did they really just say that? Yes, they did.
So many questions. So much to not understand.
Apparently, it was Lionel who was the no-show. The story was that his plane couldn’t land because of the bad weather. Yes, it was supposed to rain much later that night, but not one drop had fallen. Plus, one would think that Lionel would have flown in way before the start of the show at 7:30. None of it made any sense. It still doesn’t.
We were fortunate in that we were only a short train ride away. But for others, it may have been a bigger deal. The whole thing sucked.
Should we go back on a (ugh) Monday night?
The Concert – Take Two
We went back. How could we not?
It was worth it. We sang. We danced. We were on our feet the whole time. It was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. I’m glad we did the second take.
But Lionel, I am still upset with you. I’m sure there is more to your no-show story than we know. The whole thing was not cool.
To make matters worse, he made another unkind move during the concert. Just as he was about to sing “Endless Love,” he made the audience believe that Diana Ross would come out to sing with him (it was really the least he owed us). We were all on our feet and cheering for the queen to appear. She did not. Really Lionel?
Through all the craziness of those 48 hours, I Truly had the best time. Lionel Richie, You Are the sun, You Are the rain. We danced All Night Long to a fantastic concert. I do love you, Still.
Stacy was a stay-at-home mom/part-time preschool teacher whose life was turned upside down in 2011 when her husband passed away suddenly of a heart attack. She is raising her two fabulous daughters, who are turning into wonderful young women. In 2016, she started a blog about her experience as a young widow, The Widow Wears Pink. This led her to write for other publications including Huffington Post, Today.com, Scary Mommy, Grown & Flown, Kveller, Modern Loss, Thought Catalog, and many more. In 2018 she started Living the Second Act with fellow writer Mimi Golub. Today, Stacy and her daughters are happily living their “new normal” while always keeping her husband’s spirit alive.
