Opening night of Lionel Richie’s Sing a Song All Night Long Tour didn’t go as planned, as the veteran singer called time early after apparently feeling unwell.
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The Rock Hall-inducted singer announced an unexpected intermission almost an hour into the show Wednesday night, June 24 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, The Minnesota Star Tribune reports. Just moments before, he told the audience he was feeling shaky on his feet while performing one of his uptempo numbers, the ‘80s classic “Dancing On The Ceiling.”
Fan-filmed footage shows Richie taking an unscheduled rest on a step, persevering and trying to walk it off, then sitting again. “When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your ass down,” he reportedly said. Richie is understood to have performed another song, the ballad “Three Times a Lady,” only this time at the piano.
Following his exit from stage, Richie’s five band members reportedly stayed onstage, while pre-recorded music played softly over the sound system.
Then, at about 10:50 p.m., or 40 minutes after Richie had called for intermission, the title reports, saxophonist Dino Soldo broke the bad news. “Unfortunately, Lionel is not feeling well,” he reportedly told the audience. “He won’t be able to continue. Additional information will be available.”
The 26-date North America tour, with support from Earth, Wind & Fire, is due to continue Friday night, June 26 at United Center in Chicago, IL. At the time of writing, the status of that concert remains unclear.
Richie, now 77, released a new memoir last year titled Truly. In its pages, the veteran singer takes readers through his humble beginnings growing up in Tuskegee, Ala., during the Civil Rights movement, to his adventures as a member of The Commodores and his time spent growing up in 1960s Harlem. From there, Richie shares his highs, like being signed to Motown at just 19 years old alongside The Jackson Five, writing and recording “We Are the World,” the fear and excitement he felt going solo, and now, serving as a judge on American Idol.
