REVIEW: Stevie Wonder
- Posted on September 12, 2008 2:41 PM
- 39 comments
Stevie Wonder
O2 Arena
11th September 2008
Review by Amir Ahmed
The crowd at a concert speak volumes before a performer even takes to the stage and Stevie Wonder is certainly no exception. From small children to well-attired grandparents, indie kids and soul boys n' girls, the breadth of Stevie Wonder's audience is nothing but eclectic. And that is a reflection on Stevie Wonder's own incredible palette of influences and range. Jazz, reggae, funk and pop all merge, swirl and re-emerge from Wonder as uplifting, powerful soul music.
The 58 year old takes to the stage with an audience roar that belies a true admiration and love that have shaped an audience's musical landscape. The passion with which the crowd are moving to the maestros' classics is an incredible sight to behold. From the rafters to the floor, the 20,000 people here tonight stamp along with the grooves with vigour.
He opens with a harmonica led instrumental, an instrument which has become synoymous with the performers name, before breaking into a set which traverses the length and breadth of a musical genius' gift to the world. Wonder pauses to thank us for the chance, we've given him to bequeath the world with his gift and you have to wonder (sic) at his ability to work a crowd. He also mentions Barack Obama, as all American artists seem to be in the habit of doing (I wonder who's going to be advocating McCain/Palin when they tour here), his mother's death and her influence on him spiritually and his daughter, who sings a song and then gets Isn't She Lovely dedicated to her. He calls for silence on the anniversary of 9/11 and you can literally hear a pin drop, he commands such respect from his adoring fans.
We also hear My Cherie Amour, Superstition, Higher Ground, Sir Duke, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Alright, the list keeps on and the crowd are vociferous in their appreciation. He plays I Wish, Knocks Me Off My Feet and as a finale As, all from his biggest album, Songs In The Key Of Life, the album which is commonly thought of as his masterpiece and once again the audience receive the classics with rapturous applause. It appears that Stevie Wonders’ audience really appreciate that his enjoyment of live performance is purely through sound and as a result they shout, sing and clap along at an intensity rarely heard in so cavernous an arena.
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Comments (39)
Karen Lee
Hi.
My husband, daughter and I went to last night's concert. He was fantastic. He sang so many of his famous songs. You couldn't help but dance, clap and sing along to them all. He was on stage for approx. 2 1/2 hours. The O2 arena is a great venue too. The man is a genius. If you're going to one of his concerts, you won't be disappointed. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Posted on September 12, 2008 10:17 PM
Khan
I was extremely disappointed by the quality of sound - as we four sat on the 4th tier 417 - seat numbers p854 to p857 - the sound was appauling after the opening number we felt like walking out as the sound worsened. Having spent 265 pouunds, you can imagine our disappointment. The sound either reached us in waves - or an echo. I am quiet disgusted.
Posted on September 13, 2008 12:05 PM
Jackie
I was at last nights concert 11th sept, with my husband and my two sons. We were sitting right at the top on the fourth tier.I have loved Stevie Wonders music since the sixties, and my sons have grown up listening to him we are all big fans.He was fantastic in the concert last night,this is the first time we have seen him live, we loved all the old songs,buuuuuuutttttttttt..... the sound quality was appalling,for such a state of the art venue I was sadenned, the sound was so distorted and hard to hear, surely in such a venue they should have sorted this one out.!!! I dont think I will spend that much money again to be at a concert at the o2 centre, infact I will not go to the 02 centre again to hear music, or recommend it to anyone,as I work in the service industry.
Posted on September 13, 2008 12:32 PM
Mike Roberts
I went to Stevie Wonder`s concert in Birmingham`s NIA on Monday the 8th Sept and Though the music was wonderful the sound for the first half hour was awful,the percussion was overpowering.
Posted on September 13, 2008 4:13 PM
Maxine Hogg
My husband, good friend and I, went to see Stevie on the 12th September at the O2. Yes, some say about the sounding at first it was a little distorted, but look at the size of the venue. That does not say anything about the music geneous of our times. Stevie was amazingly fantastic as we imagined. We were overjoyed by this gifted man! Sang all our favourites. I saw him around 20 years ago it did compare. Would never miss him, we were touched.
Posted on September 13, 2008 10:58 PM
Maxine Hogg
My husband, good friend and I, went to see Stevie on the 12th September at the O2. Yes, some say about the sounding at first it was a little distorted, but look at the size of the venue. That does not say anything about the music genious of our times. Stevie was amazingly fantastic as we imagined. We were overjoyed by this gifted man! Sang all our favourites. I saw him around 20 years ago and it did compare. Would never miss him, we were touched.
Posted on September 13, 2008 11:06 PM
kam j
does anyone know what time he actually came on to the stage after the doors opened at 6:30? i am trying tind out as have tickets for the concert next week?
be great if anyone knows
thanks
Posted on September 25, 2008 8:12 PM
Louise H
Me too please! I'm also going next week and trying to plan travel, so an idea of what time to be there for would be really helpful!
Posted on September 25, 2008 8:47 PM
Louise H
Hi. Have just heard from friends who went on 12th Sept - they said as there was no support act you didn't really need to be in your seats till 8.25pm. Hope that helps others!
Posted on September 25, 2008 8:54 PM
kam j
thanks louise
enjoy the show!
Posted on September 30, 2008 9:11 PM
Terry D
I went to the O2 show on 30th Sept. On the whole excellent, but three comments. Firstly, the sound was certainly off at the start (I was in the fourth tier block 419) but it did seem to improve later. I suspect the the balance was changed for some speciific songs. Secondly, not all of the material was the classic stuff, and the majority of the audience did know some of the earlier songs in the show. A few songs were (for me) spoilt by Stevie Wonder going off on a vocal trip in the middle. Lastly, there were two big references to the American election and Obama, the second being an attempt to get the audience to sing his name. This was quite inappropriate for a London audience (do we care that much for an American election), and prompted many people to leave three songs before the end, which was a shame. The talent is certainly still there, but the inexperience with an international audience did show.
Posted on October 1, 2008 2:26 AM
Infra Struck
I went on 30th Sept too.
Firstly, I was on the 4th tier but block 403 and the sound was fine considering where the seat was. It's always best to sit as close to the mixing desk as possible to get the best sound.I was in block 403 for Prince before and it was awful then.
The set was ok and he did the standard hits and other stuff and it was all fine. Thought the voicebox and vocoder stuff was a bit pointless but on the whole a decent show until....
Trying to get the crowd to sing 'Barack Obama' during the encore? Killed a good show and I have to admit to walking out laughing. On the way out everyone was talking about it. The place literally half-emptied. I'm not sure he even relalised we'd gone or the irony of singing about Obama after Superstition.
Posted on October 1, 2008 10:41 AM
Lee
I went to last nights show (Sept 30th) as well. And agree with the comments above, but would go further and say it is the most disappointing concert I have ever seen in my life. The first hour was so padded with pointless dull material that we considered even leaving then. When he did play a song that got the crowd going, it was immediately proceeded by something that got everyone sitting back down looking at their watches. The robotic voice stuff (think Cher songs) where he sung such classics as London Bridge is burning down ( I am not joking) was embarrassingly long and bad. We then had about 20 mins of drum solos, guitar solos, key board solos (not by Stevie) and a load more 'look how many wierd things I can do with my voice'. At one point he did some sort of religious calling which again was just weird. About 25mins before the end he decided to start playing all his hits in a medley type arrangement. So you got a quick rush through all the great songs after he'd wasted the proceeding 1hr and half on self indulgent rubbish. To finally kill it he finished by getting the audience to stand up and then starting chanting 'Barak Obama' trying to get them to follow. All people did was follow each other out of the exits. Tickets cost a lot and all we got was instrumental solos, weird voice stuff, religious and political chanting and the odd hit rushed through at the end. If I could get my money back I would, the show was terrible. The couple next to me actually fell asleep for 3 or 4 songs!!
Posted on October 1, 2008 1:07 PM
c gordon
I couldnt agree more with some of the comments made. The first part of the concert was terrible. I also think that the reason for a mass exodus could have something to do with the very late start of the concert which meant although he was finally singing some good songs we had to leave before the end in order to make sure that we could get home on the train. We actually made it with a couple of minutes to spare having had to run like hell to catch it. Surely transport times could be considered when timing a concert?
Posted on October 1, 2008 4:05 PM
Darren
I agree with the previous comments and found that compared to my last SW concert in'89,last night was very disappointing. Certainly was a concert of two halves though and at least the secong half was outstanding. Can't believe the dross that was played in the first half at the expense of classics like For Once in My Life, I Was Made to Love Her and Uptight to name but a few. SW'89 remains the best gig I have seen, while last night would rank as the second worst - guess that's the difference 19 years makes......
Posted on October 1, 2008 9:44 PM
Steve
Having read the above comments i can understand some of the disapointment of the big hits being rushed towards the end, especially if thats the only songs you really know. However, if you are a lover of Stevie's "Classic Period" it was fantastic to see Stevie doing songs off his Innervisions and Songs in the key of life albums. I was lucky enough to get seats right near the front and was blown away by how tight the band were, and despite all the above negative comments im sure no one can deny how amazing Stevie was when he did "Lately"
Posted on October 2, 2008 9:18 AM
Tim
It is a shame that when a musical great comes to town, all people want to hear are the songs they know! Stevie has written and recorded hundreds of great great songs that go far beyond his famous hits. He is also I fine musician, therefore playing All Blues by Miles Davis and Spain by Chick Corea (I wonder how many punters or critics for that matter knew what it was!) were totally fine by me. I agree that 2 or 3 solos in Spain would have been enough, but there you go. I don't think people understand what it takes to be an artist like Stevie. The chanting Barak Obama was missplaced but Stevie has always been a political activist. This is obviously close to his heart. I also agree that the sound was less than average. The venue needs to address this for future gigs. Please give the guy a break. If I am still playing music that well at 58 I will be a happy man!
Posted on October 2, 2008 11:48 AM
Lee
I wouldn't say that people ONLY want to hear the songs they know, and I also wouldn't patronise people by suggesting that if they didn't enjoy the concert it must be because they aren't a lover of his 'classic period'. It is simply a question of balance, and from my perspective the balance between classic songs (not necessarily hits) and other work was not right. I also think the running order was poor as it did not allow the crowd to get into any sort of rythym - a bit like a poor DJ continually alternating between a high tempo dance anthem and then a slow ballad. There were undoubtedly some great moments like 'Lately' and Stevie definitely still has IT, but far too much of our limited time with the great man was wasted on unnecessary padding like voicebox versions of London Bridge. There is no doubt his band were tight and exceptionally talented but I went to see & hear Stevie not instrumentals from his great band. The night reminded me of Prince earlier in the year when there was a saxophonist on stage doing a solo for about 20 minutes and then we got literally 30 secs per song of classics right at the end. When a major artist returns after such a long time then he/she really needs to give the fans what they have been waiting for as it could be another 19 years before we get to see him again. I think the disappointment is so great as expectations were so high.
PS Tim - Interesting point re Miles Davies and Chick Corea as admittedly that bit went over my head as I am not a fan of either. No problem with a few things like that but when you add a couple of voice box versions of Beatles songs, a nursery rhyme, political chanting and other off beat vocals it becomes a bit much i.e. back to balance
Posted on October 2, 2008 1:51 PM
louise
Stevie is great!- all the songs he played were fabulous.I agree with Tim that the instrumental tunes 'spain' and 'all blues' were brill too. I hate to be a musical snob-but I think that the concert was for the most part, filled with people who only knew the 'standard' stevie tunes and don't own any albums.Can you believe I was sat near the front with people on every side of me SITTING DOWN AND NOT EVEN TAPPING THEIR FEET...umm.... weird. So I think that Stevie played his heart out (as usual)but it was probably wasted on more than half of the ignorant(see above) audience.
Posted on October 2, 2008 3:25 PM
James
Louise I have all of Stevie's albums and have seen him in concert several times starting in the early 70s and I'm sad to say I agree with most of the negative comments above. This concert was a travesty of the mans talent. A truly terrible show sprinkeld with few great moments. To call the majority of the audience ignorant and accusing them on not owning any albums because they didnt enjoy the night like you did and hold a different view is incredibly arrogant. Perhaps people weren't standing and were not tapping their feet because the first half of the show was dull. The Barack Obama nonsense at the end was the final straw, and I'm a Democrat!
Posted on October 2, 2008 5:44 PM
John Bridgland
Was I at the same concert as everyone else?! I went to see Stevie on the opening night in Birmingham, then the first London O2 gig, then followed him out to Paris. I can honestly say that he got better each time and although he is a little eccentric, would go to each and every one of his Europe dates if I could afford it! The diversity of each concert stands this singer/songwriter alone in terms of creativity. I cannot remember poor sound quality at any of his concerts, although I rememeber him fluffing 'RibbonsIn The Sky' in Birmingham. I too, caught SW in concert twice in the 80's, and once in the 90's. Although it's been 4 days since my last concert, I'm still unable to hear any SW song without crying. Maybe that's just what his music does to me?! The Barack business only made me feel how wonderful it would be to really 'want' something. I can't wait for the next tour and only hope that it's sooner than later. I wish those days could, come back once more..!
Posted on October 3, 2008 1:22 AM
sue romanski
we went to the 30th sept performance of stevie wonder at the o2 arena and i can honestly say it was one of the best and most magical events of my life,we were sat on level 4 and the sound was fantastic.the man is a musical genius and we shouldnt just expect to hear his most popular hits.his music moves and motivates his life and if you are a true stevie wonder fan you should be able to appreciate this talent.everything that he writes and sings truly comes from this mans heart and as he says he believes in love and unity for all people.he should not be judged in this way because he talked of barrack obama.everyone knows that he is a very politically motivated person and if you expected anything less,then you should have spent your money on something dull and mainstream like james blunt.if i could afford to i would have gone to see every uk performance and only hope that i will be able to see him again one day.and as for him singing london bridge with the synthesized music,it was just him being humorous,so try and get over yourself and appreciate a true legend and a musical genious.when you had to endure the long boring instrumentals by his band i think you will find that he was giving credit to his bands musical abilities and that he doesnt just think of himself as the star.the only time people left in droves was when the performance ended and then it was too soon.he played non stop for 2 and half hours and gave incredible value for money.i waited all my life to see this man and i hope that next time i see him i wont meet up with the negative individuals that seem to have been there.
Posted on October 3, 2008 4:11 PM
louise
Ok James, lets agree to disagree!- I think at the end of the day we still all agree on one thing- STEVIE IS GREAT ! oh, and I'm not really arrogant or negative in 'real life'.Promise.
Posted on October 3, 2008 5:00 PM
Grace
Unfortunately I am another disappointed Stevie fan, that's if it is possible having read some of the comments on here i.e. you aren't a fan if you didnt enjoy the night.
I've seen him twice this year and the first time in Birmingham was fantastic, but I thought this weeks show at the O2 was terrible. It's a shame that some people will only experience that gig. If it was the most magical event of your life then I'd worry about the rest of your life.
It seems most people on here agree the voice box stuff was a mistake and to be honest at first I thought it was a joke and laughed but then it went on so long across several songs that everyone in our section started looking at each other in a bemused fashion. very strange but I guess the guy's just eccentric and thats not a bad thing.
My main gripe was his running order and song selection, which totally failed to build any atmosphere in the O2 and most people particularly in the first half seemed pretty bored. In fairness things got better as the show went on.
I also really didnt like him trying to force the audience to chant Barack Obama, and that was ill advised as it went down very badly with the UK audience. I saw a lot of people leave at this point and on the tube home it was all people seemed to be talking about rather than the music which is a shame. No problem with SW being political as you expect that but he did not seem to understand that UK culture is very different from US culture. I don't think not liking the politicial chanting means you should go and see mainstream dull artists, so I dont get that comment above, after all U2 are about as mainstream as you can get and are much more political.
At the end of the day Stevie's job was to entertain the fans that have paid a lot of money to see him and I'm sad to say the majority seem to feel he failed at the O2. It doesn't matter if the concert was 2.5 hrs or 2.5 days its about the experience as a whole and Tuesday night didnt match the experience in Birmingham by quite some distance. I will certainly give him another chance though as we all have off days!
Posted on October 3, 2008 10:37 PM
Freddie
I saw SW at the O2 this Tuesday and have to agree that it wasn't his best night, SW89 it certainly wasn't. I wont repeat the negative comments above but I think all the reviews good and bad probably sum up the concert. If you are a super, almost obsessive, fan (Michael Jackson has them as well)then you would probably love whatever SW did, even if it was 2 hours on the harmonica, and no problem with that at all, but if you are a standard fan like most people in the audience then the show will have been a let down. The majority of fans dont cry whenever they hear one of his songs, or find his concerts the greatest moments of their life, they just simply love his music and went along to hear him sing their favourite songs in the flesh. Unfortunately he only seemed to deliver to those super fans on Tuesday night and left the rest of us feeling a little short changed.
Posted on October 4, 2008 12:16 AM
Liz Smith
Does anyone have a list of the songs played/sung on 30th Sept, some I didnt know. I've never seen him perform before but it was probably the best concert I've been to. I was only 7 rows from stage and the two and half hours music was just amazing. I didnt expect to like everything he played but then I don't have to like every piece of music Bach wrote! Will go to see him again if the opportunity arises.
Posted on October 4, 2008 10:05 AM
Sarah Black
I went to the concert at the O2 on 30th September and was very disappointed with the first hour. He was at least 45 minutes late coming on stage and it is the only concert I have been to where the main act doesn't being their set with a bit hit. Yes, he did do a lot of his hits in the second hour but you didn't get all of each song. The sound where we were sat was fantastic but, overall given the price of the tickets, it was disappointing
Posted on October 4, 2008 9:53 PM
Diana
Went to the O2 on Sept 30th and have to say the show was rather dull and self indulgent to say the least. The pacing was poor, song selection questionable and the whole night lacked momentum. Yes there were some moments that show the man still has the magic we hoped and paid to see like 'Lately', but these were drowned in the tedium that surrounded them. Liz - In the first half I remember All Blues (Miles Davies), Spain (Chick Corea), Voice Decoder versions of London Bridge is Falling Down (Nursery Rhyme), Fool on the Hill (Beatles), I want to Hold your Hand (Beatles), solos from two percussionists, the bassist, two guitarists, the saxophonist, keyboard players and the trumpet-player...not much Stevie stuff though!! By the time I woke up again as he attempted to get a UK audience to chant Barack Obamas name I'd lost the will to stay so can't tell you what came next. Facetious I know but just really disappointed and frustrated at what could have been.
Posted on October 4, 2008 11:44 PM
pam green
I saw the concert last night in Birmingham, it was fantastic, the sound was brilliant Stevie was amazing. I absolutely loved it. Thank you Stevie Wonder
Posted on October 5, 2008 11:28 AM
glenn
went last night with friends because i loved stevie wonder as a kid i felt let down abit by the sound and some of the song choices and the obamas thing was a bit of a cheek
Posted on October 5, 2008 12:54 PM
cb
One of the best concerts i have seen.
The live band was brilliant ,what a performer and entertainer .
A great night.
Posted on October 5, 2008 6:20 PM
Brian
Last night concert will be the most memorable event in my life, it could have been the worst day ever in the world for me, but watching Stevie changed the whole day. This man is the most talented pleasing musician above all. Bless You Mr Wonder.
Posted on October 5, 2008 9:04 PM
Angela
I went to the 4th October concert at the NIA Birmingham with my mum, sister and 12year old nephew. It was truly wonderful. I saw him around 22 years ago at the NEC Birmingham when he was in the round. Both were different concerts but both wonderful. He sang everything I wanted to hear. He was a little off key for one or two of the songs but hey, so what, we all had a fantastic night. Thank You Stevie. PS sorry for those of you who didn;t enjoy him at the O2 arena. I will keep those seat numbers in mind if I ever book a concert there. Went there twice when it was the Dome. Would love to see how they have altered it.
Posted on October 6, 2008 2:07 AM
Josephine
It was really interesting reading all the above mixed comments. I enjoyed all three concerts that I attended, but understand the criticisms above. Barack Obama chants were unnecessary..but he is passionate about his USA politics... and most people did not come to hear that. Seating and sound - I think it is appalling that people have paid only £10 less than some others and had terrible sound quality. That is not fair - ticket purchasing is luck of the draw and some serious perserverance. I was lucky enough to be within 50 metres from the stage on two occasions and on one occasion 5 rows from the front. I must say, it is a totally different concert when you are up close. So for some you have already got a raw deal - which is unfair. If you are up close the atmosphere alone is totally different. The venues should not sell tickets in areas where the sound quality is bad or you cannot even see the screens. Maybe, we - as the customers need some way of making our feelings heard. As one of the commments mentioned - they paid nearly £300 for tickets. That is an awful lot of money in this economic climate to come out feeling as though there money was wasted. I loved all 3 of the concerts I saw, though I really thought the Birmingham crowd on Saturday where a bit slow to get up and have a good time. Lets all just cross fingers and hope that Stevie comes back again soon - maybe does smaller venues so that each and every one of us can enjoy the evening and not just us fortunate ones who had seats up front.
Posted on October 6, 2008 9:57 AM
Si & Alex
I took my girlfriend to the Oct 4th gig and we also went to the opening NIA gig. We loved both but prefered the Oct 4th one, we were nearer the front this time (18 rows back). His set was amazing, loved all of the songs. Really really loved the medley at the end. The band were really tight and sounded awesome. This was one of the best nights out we've ever had! I really hope he tours Europe again soon!
Posted on October 6, 2008 10:44 AM
Margaret J
I went to Birmingham on 4th, with my daughter & her husband,and we all agreed that it was an absolutely fantastic condert.Both SW & the band were incredible. We have no complaints whatsover.Just wish we could afford to see him perform more often!
Posted on October 6, 2008 12:20 PM
Yiannis + Ellie
I went to Birmingham at the NIA on the 4th with my girlfriend and we had a fantastic night.I grew up with Stevie's music and to hear and see him in the flesh
was a dream come true.He and his
band were amazing.It was the first time i saw him live so i can't compare the gig to another one.But i wouldn't do that anyway.His music is life
changing,he is unique and so are his gigs.So i just want to say thank you Stevie for an unforgettable night and i hope
we get to see you again some time.
Posted on October 6, 2008 1:39 PM
Nat and Aim
Went to see Stevie Wonder in Birmingham on the 4th and he was awesome! :) I was awe struck, hes an incredible performer and his energy is contageous! I loved every minute and feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to see such an amazing man! :D GO STEVIE!!!
Posted on October 6, 2008 4:26 PM
Mike Fox
Went to the concert in Manchester at M.E.N., I must say
it was fantastic. The music was outstanding, the musicianship exceptional, and Mr.Wonder better than I could have wished.
Stevie did mention Mr.Obama briefly, but as with so many African American people, he is thrilled at such an historical prospect.
Stevie also quoted Martin Luther King, which I emphatically applaud.
The resounding theme which came across most strongly though was a message of love and hope and unity; this is so much a part of who Stevie is and was reflected absolutely in his speech, but most of all in his music.
I am a bigger fan now than I was before the concert and am excited at the prospect of another tour.
Posted on October 10, 2008 12:37 AM
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