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>From The New York Post
November 19, 2007 -- STEVIE Wonder felt the heat of the spot light on his
face. He heard the riotous standing ovation before he even sang a note - he
seemed to taste the love.
At Saturday's sold-out Madison Square Garden gig, his first proper concert
here in 11 years, Wonder beamed an ear-to-ear smile at his fans and said
"New
York, just like I pictured it" - half wisecrack, half truth.
As for the audience's expectations, this 57-year-old soul survivor lived up
to
his rep as a musical showman with a performance that signed, sealed and
delivered goodness with a set that reached from 1969's "My Cherie Amour" to
the present.
What was wonderful about this show was that, despite the concert's most
memorable moments coming when Stevie dusted off one of his many No. 1 hits,
it
wasn't a golden oldie nostalgia show.
The iconic singer laid down an awe-inspiring performance, where his vocals
were youthful, his arrangements were big enough to fill the Garden and he
used
his celebrity to draw stars like Prince and Tony Bennett out of their seats
to
duet with him.
Hearing Stevie do "For Once in My Life" is a thrill - with Mr. Bennett, the
piece was inspired. When the pair traded the closing lines: "For once, I can
say, this is mine, you can't take it, as long as I know I have love, I can
make it, For once in my life, I have someone who needs me," it was hard to
shake the shivers.
For the fan whose favorite Stevie song is "Superstition," it couldn't have
gotten any better than when Wonder said: "Prince? I understand Prince is
here.
Prince, you can jam with us if you want."
His Purpleness high-heeled his way onto stage in wraparound shades and a
high
collar-jacket, grabbed the first electric six-string in reach (a very
non-Prince slime green Stratocaster) and joined the band for a walloping
extended cover, complete with an ax solo that would have excited Darling
Nikki.
While this show ranked high on the concert meter, Wonder spent too much time
trying to get audience participation going in the tune "Ribbon in the Sky."
When an artist has a songbook as outstanding as his, you don't need a
concert
segment where he rehearses the audience for a sing-along that sounded as
off-key and out of time as you'd expect.
No doubt there were some inspired by the concert's introductory monologue,
where Wonder had a moment of silence for 9/11 victims; spoke about being
paralyzed with grief after the death of his mom; offered Kanye West (who
just
lost his own mother) a shoulder to cry on; and ultimately revealed this show
happened because he got a motherly nag from the other side telling him: "Get
your ass outta bed and back onstage."
Heartfelt patter, but it was still an ass-backwards way to begin what would
be
a rollicking show.
Otherwise, there were few transgressions. It was a generous 2½ hours long,
Wonder's voice was steady, warm and jazzy and the set was excellent. The top
songs included "Higher Ground," "Living for the City," "I Wish" and "Master
Blaster." The exclusion of the loved but insipid "I Just Called to Say I
Love
You," even showed wisdom just might come with age.
In the end, when you closed your eyes and listened, it was just the way
you'd
picture a Stevie Wonder concert.
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