Stevie Wonder – “A Wonder Spring Night”

Stevie Wonder – “A Wonder Spring Night”
– Rod Laver Arena, Sunday 19 October 2008.

Approaching Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night, you could sense the anticipation as the reality of seeing a musical legend at work drew nearer. Few artists are internationally respected and loved like Stevie Wonder, and he showed why before a sold out crowd that spanned 3 generations.

Starting half an hour late at such a major show, would usually evoke some frustration and angst from the crowd. However in this case, the excitement snowballed, as people continued to arrive at their seats, and immediately verbalised their excitement to those in the seats around them. Stevie was late, but no-one cared – it was Stevie. He was eventually led onto stage by daughter Aisha “Isn’t She Lovely” Morris, and so the show began.

Stevie delivered the show of a seasoned performer, showcasing his abilities on classical piano, synthesiser and, of course, harmonica. The pitch and control of his voice, even at 58 years of age, was impressive to say the least, and would put most singers of the current generation of “singers” to shame. The band were what you would expect them to be – tight. Professionalism seemed to ooze from the stage, but more notable was the look of enjoyment and love for what they do, and who could blame them – they were playing with Stevie.

After kicking off the show with “As If You Read My Mind”, an odd choice as it is not one that would immediately strike a chord with the less-informed members of the audience. Stevie declared that the show was dedicated to Levi Stubbs, lead singer of the Four Tops and early influence on Stevie. Master Blaster kicked off, and so did the energy one would expect from a Stevie show. One may have felt at times that the funk momentum built up by such up-tempo songs as “All I Do”, “Part Time Lover”, “Don’t You Worry About a Thing” and “Signed Sealed Delivered” were awkwardly interrupted by soothing classics such as “Knocks Me Off My Feet” and “Overjoyed”, however it soon became evident that this was all calculated to give Stevie the opportunity to lead into something be it a brief chat to the crowd or introducing Aisha to sing a track. She was good, but it seemed the crowd didn’t particularly care – the night was about Stevie.

Stevie’s versatility as a songwriter, as well as his commercial success, was reflected in his playlist, with classics such as “My Cherie Amour”, “Isn’t She Lovely” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You” sitting alongside “Living for the City”, “Sir Duke” and “I Wish” – all evoking the same look of joy from the crowd. The emotional highlight of the evening struck halfway through the show, with Stevie’s rendition of “Lately”. The melancholic track pierced through the complete silence of the crowd, as Stevie mesmerised his audience in a manner that only he can. The audience were in and out of their seats for the whole show, the sheer funkiness of what was being witnessed too contagious to be seat-bound for a full 2 hours and a half. People weren’t ashamed to dance, and no-one cared that they did – it was Stevie.

As he ploughed through his songs, Stevie interacted with the crowd, with his poor yet amusing attempts at an Australian accent (“someone get Stevie a beer, it’ll make him see better”) and anecdotes about his ongoing relationship with Australia. He charmed us with his use of the vocoder to sing “Let’s Get Physical” and “Land Downunder”, however his segue into the Jackson Five’s “Never Can Say Goodbye” was the most effective use of the technology that Stevie helped pioneer. Given Stevie’s role as social activist and devout supporter of the Democrats, the crowd was subject to some sermonising. He fretted about the follies of judging based on race and, using the specific example of the US Presidential Election, took the opportunity to continue his work with Barack Obama’s campaign trail. This lost its way when the crowd was encouraged to sing the words “Barack Obama”, but ultimately no-one cared – it was Stevie.

The show built up to its climax, the soul anthem Superstition, however the real highlight of the evening appeared to be what followed. “The clock on the wall says I got to go – no no, no no” was the call and response tagline that helped hammer home the significance of Stevie’s career, as he sang verses from several favourites that failed to make the playlist in their full form… from memory this included “Do I Do’, “For Once In My Life”, and “Yester-me Yester-you Yester-day”. This brief medley had the crowd reminiscing about times past; one woman in my row crying with joy as everyone around her smiled and danced captured the moment perfectly. A member of the stage crew was brought on stage and had “Happy Birthday” sung to him by Stevie and the crowd, and finally Stevie bid Melbourne farewell with “As”.

There was no encore, but after two and a half hours of constant music, no-one seemed too disappointed. Never have I been to a show where everyone around me seemed completely absorbed by the presence on stage, nor have I seen so many expressions of pure happiness. Rarely will you go to a concert and see an audience, made up of those in their early teens up to those in their 60s, all grooving to the same tune. But it’s been happening for decades, and will continue to happen as his music lives on, because it’s Stevie.

- Nick Antoine

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