Lionel Richie condensed his big arena show into the “intimate” Union Transfer on Saturday night. The pop icon came to Philadelphia for a special concert open to Wells Fargo cardholders, and while the venue was small, the show was not small. He brought his full show production across the country in a couple trucks to make the one-night-only event one to remember.
As the sold out crowd filtered in excited for the experience, you saw fans in custom Lionel Richie jackets and others dancing to the pre-show playlist. It all kicked off with an opening video montage to which his band played along to, before Richie made his appearance. The 18-song set list included songs from his whole discography and songs from the Commodores. He performed all the hits with the crowd singing back to him, making Saturday night a “karaoke night” for his fans.
Lionel Richie | photo by Ellen C Miller
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a small venue,” Richie shared. He had a fun, informal vibe throughout the show, and seemed happy to break up the parade of arenas for an intimate performance with his fans. (His year continues with a Vegas residency, followed by a European tour; dates here.) He told stories about being an American Idol judge, and gave lucky fans in the front row high-fives throughout the performance. The video projections playing behind the band on stage took the show up a level and you could imagine it being on the bigger stages he’ll play later this year. Even with having his full production with him, Richie created a fun, intimate night.
Check out more photos from the show and the setlist below.