On a brisk autumn evening in South Philadelphia, several thousand people gathered together in love to sing along with who I believe to be the greatest American singer/songwriter: Stevie Wonder.
Around 8:30 on Saturday night, accompanied by two of his children (both of whom sang backup throughout the show), Stevie took the stage at Wells Fargo Center. At 74, it would be easy to be hardened by the world, but at this concert he was full of words of love. Some for the city — Uptown Theater even got a mention — some for his children of course, and for us, the fans. He started the evening speaking on what so much of his music is about, the revolutionary act of love.
Stevie Wonder | photo by Melissa Simpson for WXPN
His first song of the evening was his latest, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart,” a song he said he wrote about five years ago and as relevant now as ever. He then smoothly slide into an assortment of classics like “Overjoyed,” “Higher Ground,” “You Are The Sunshine of My Life,” “My Cherie Amour,” “I Wish,” my personal favorite “I Was Made to Love Her,” and so so many more. He played for nearly two and a half hours and easily could have done another two.
Stevie Wonder | photo by Melissa Simpson for WXPN
One of the things that struck me most was how full of life Stevie was, even climbing on top of the piano at one point. He got choked up speaking on fellow musicians who were no longer here who he worked with and even cussed a time or two. But the whole night was a message of love and learning to accept one another. He often expressed the message of voting and said even if you disagree with him, he loves you anyway. What I took most from the show was the sight of the arena filled with so many generations, so many people that share an appreciation for this artist and their art all about love: that brought us together Saturday night, and that can bridge worlds.