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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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- NewPowerNewYork Mailing List website: Www.NPNY.Org ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe? Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED], in body place npny ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Questions/Help?: [EMAIL PROTECTED]