Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life Tour

STEVIE WONDER

SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE PERFORMANCE

MGM GRAND ARENA, LAS VEGAS, NV

29 NOVEMBER, 2014

In the glorious star chamber that is the internet, everything is epic, every show killed, and everyone is awesome...sometimes one needs a check and a brief reset when history unspools in front of them. Working with a stacked band complete with horns, a string section, and some special guests, Stevie Wonder brought his celebration of 1976's Songs In The Key Of Life to the MGM Grand Arena in Los Vegas, one night of an all too brief run. Setting the tone right away with opener "Love's In Need Of Love Today", Stevie locked into second half improv and took it to the heavens. While deeply nostalgic, the night was not a nostalgia trip; it was about honoring, opening up, and exploring the songs, and while the show mostly followed the album template, it was anything but rote. First guests of the night were India Arie and Frederic Yonnet on "Have A Talk With God", and the string section took the spotlight on the still relevant "Village Ghetto Land". A searing take on "Contusion" kept the concise form of the LP version, rather than the sometimes almost 20 minute monsters heard on the '73/'74 tours. Back to back #1's, "Sir Duke" and "I Wish" galvanized the audience, and showed off the horn section to great effect, but interestingly, the first mass singalong, at least in my section, came after Stevie moved over to the Yamaha grand piano to essay an expansive "Knocks Me Off My Feet". Taking a brief respite from strict format, a jam introduced backup singer Keith John, (son of legendary Little Willie John), and showcased the horns and strings, as well as band MVP Greg Phillinganes and long-serving bassist Nathan Watts. Getting back on track with "Pastime Paradise", Stevie emphatically reclaimed it for his own, and set the stage for a moving "Summer Soft", featuring Buffalo, NY's own Ronnie Foster, on organ. Side two closer "Ordinary Pain" gave the backup singers, including Wonder's daughter Aisha, some love. Coming in, my big question was how the bonus EP tracks would be treated. While almost an afterthought to an already sprawling double album, they were not treated lightly, and the evening's first true sequencing left turn came with "Saturn" heralding the return of a resplendent India Arie to the stage, and a buoyant "Ebony Eyes" took us up to the intermission. And that was just the first half.

For the second half, the format was Side 3, side B of the bonus EP, then the logical conclusion of Side 4, for those of you thoroughly invested in minutiae. "Isn't She Lovely", of course, had the added gravitas of its subject, Aisha, present onstage. "Joy Inside My Tears" was prefaced with an emotional introduction, and Stevie sang it from the gut, registering it, along with "Knocks Me Off My Feet", as totally unexpected highlights of the evening. "Black Man" couldn't have been performed at a more appropriate time in our current history, and like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, reminds us that we haven't necessarily moved as far ahead as we should have. Overlooked in the polemics is that this was one of Wonder's funkiest tunes ever, and live, the horns held up their end, bolstering the tension with clipped bursts. The call and response educational section was the original LP's dropped in, as there's no topping some things. It was interesting to see Wonder mouthing along at various points of the historical roll call, and I imagine it must have been a charge to have been present to see the kids at the recording. Continuing the funk, "All Day Sucker" got a lively reading, setting the table for the instrumental "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)", which, like "Contusion", alludes to things perhaps beyond verbalization, and is the ultimate testament to Wonder's gift that he can bring it home for us without words. Musically, it's the polar opposite of "Contusion", a harmonica duet that Stevie double tracked himself for on the original recording, but in this performance, was aided and abetted by the more than able Frederic Yonnet. I think at the time, many folks wrote off the bucolic instrumental at the tail end of a bonus 45, at the tail end of a double album, but the performance, and Yonnet's star turn force a reassessment. The home stretch of Side 4 came to life with "Ngiculela-Es Una Historia-I Am Singing", before giving way to yet another emotional high point, Stevie singing "If It's Magic" over the late Dorothy Ashby's original harp performance. Which brings us to the end, as those familiar with the LP know: the glory of sitting through the whole thing is rewarded by an incredible one-two punch ending of a pair of Wonder's finest songs, "As" and "Another Star", and it was here that the night achieved transcendence. I didn't think anything could top his triumphant appearance at SF's Outsidelands Festival in 2012, but if there's one lesson we've learned through the years, it's to never underestimate Stevie Wonder.

Keith John takes the spotlight

Nathan Watts leads the charge

Frederic Yonnet (left) duetting with Stevie

Stevie Wonder, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, 24 November, 2014

Outsidelands, SF: Stevie Wonder

And so a dream came true...from hearing the maniacal cackle of the intro of "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" breaking through the static on an overcast morning from a N.Y. FM station sixty miles away as a seven year old, to this moment in a field near the Pacific Ocean oh so many years later.  The circle is finally closed.
Stevie Wonder's full band, (is it even still called Wonderlove?), hit the stage, setting the table with a low down groove, and soon enough, Stevie appeared from the wings, noodling on a Yamaha portable keyboard, as he made his grand entrance across the stage to a bank of keyboards.  Not even bothering with his own overstuffed songbook, he opened in full engagement mode, leading a singalong of "How Sweet It Is", before clinching the party with "Master Blaster", and "Higher Ground".  After that, it was human jukebox mode, as he ripped through his own hits, and nodded to others, with covers of John Lennon's "Imagine", and Jimmy Reed's "You've Got Me Running", aided by daughter Aisha.  Her presence onstage during "Isn't She Lovely", a song inspired by her birth, was a sight to behold.  The horns were impeccable, adding a great high life coda to "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing", and Stevie himself was in the finest form, making a well timed leap across keyboard benches to effect a heart-stopping transistion from "I Wish" to "Signed, Sealed, Delivered".  "As" provided an uplifting highlight near the end of the regular set, finishing off with his Dr. King salute, "Happy Birthday".
It was an unforgettable end to an amazing weekend.  From wooded forests to the Main Stage, Outsidelands 2012 had it all, and it will be a delight to see how they try to top themselves next year.

Outsidelands, SF: Sights and Sounds (day three)

Jack White on the Main Stage

And then it was Sunday...With the rough agenda and total sensory overload of the first two days of Outsidelands, Sunday was, (on paper), the respite-the day to totally kick back and do sweet F.A. until the evening's closer/bucket list entry: Mr. Stevie Wonder.  Of course, things never adhere to plan, and this day, in the most delightful of ways, was no exception.

In keeping with the casual approach, I drifted through the grounds, exploring the nooks and crannies that I'd previously ignored in the race between stages.  People watching in San Francisco is always pure entertainment, but with people trying extra hard at a festival, it was just that much more...

Cool discoveries early on were Infantree, and the precociously talented Birdy, who seemed very comfortable onstage for a 16 year old.
Settled in for a quick bite before heading over to see Franz Ferdinand, always a reliable festival band, when things got interesting.  The band before Franz wasn't clicking for me, and I strayed off in search of cupcakes, and happened to stumble on a crowd gathering around the Third Man Records Rolling Record Store.  So we gathered...and the payoff turned out to be a very intimate secret show from Jack White, in a forest clearing in Golden Gate Park.
Pow!
As if that weren't enough, he made way for an a few songs by Tom Morello, who was then joined by Boots Riley.  Many thanks to Third Man Records for facilitating that special moment.
For the complete story, check out The Owl Magazine.  In the middle of the gang's full day wrap-up is my breakdown specifically on the secret show. 



It was interesting to contrast with his later appearance on the main stage to, i would guess, 30-40,000 people.  In between, I snuck in some good times with Santigold, who shared the stage with a nice portion of the audience in a very party friendly set.  The genre-hopping of her records seems so natural in a festival setting, almost like seeing multiple acts at once.

We'll conclude the Outsidelands adventures in the next post, as Stevie Wonder definitely deserves his own space...

Infantree

Infantree

Birdy

Birdy

you've been warned...

Birdy

 It's all about the moment...Pictured above, Santigold, (striped dress), egging on fans to invade her stage, bemused backup dancers, and the arm of a crowd surfer holding up an inflatable shark...

Santigold (and friends)

Santigold

 Teaser: The burbling of synthesizer registered for a brief few seconds, before the almighty roar of the crowd kicked in as one's attention was drawn to the wings of the stage...