Stevie Wonder - The Hollywood Bowl – Hollywood (A PopEntertainment.com Concert Review)

PopEntertainment
Jul 8, 2008
3 min read

Updated: Apr 3

Stevie Wonder - The Hollywood Bowl – Hollywood, CA - July 7, 2008

SIMPLY WONDER-FUL...

It's a simple mathematical equation. Stevie Wonder + Hollywood Bowl = one special night of music. After the passing of his beloved mother, Lula Hardaway, in June of 2006, Wonder, long absent from the touring circuit, has returned to live performance.

He's currently finishing up a US leg and getting set for a European jaunt beginning in September. On Monday, July 7th, Stevie Wonder was back on his home turf performing a spectacular two and a half hour show for a packed hometown crowd at The Hollywood Bowl, which included legendary Motown Records icon, Berry Gordy and Adam Levine of Maroon 5.

Boasting a ridiculously rich catalog of timeless classics spanning the Sixties though today, Wonder simply owns the concert stage, embracing his time-honored legacy with contagious enthusiasm and winning exuberance. Kicking off a typically incandescent set, Wonder dipped heavily into his 1980 LP, Hotter Than July and knocked out five gems from the record including the set opener "As If You Read My Mind," "Master Blaster (Jammin')", "Did I Hear You Say You Love Me", "All I Do" and a rare airing of the moody "Rocket Love." Drawing from all facets of his illustrious career, Wonder's set indisputably proved he's a master stylist, comfortable in a myriad of musical idioms including R&B, pop, funk, soul, jazz, reggae, prog-rock, avant-garde and Tin Pan Alley pop.

Part of the fun of a Stevie Wonder show is witnessing the pure joy and spirit that he exudes while performing. Whether executing complex piano motifs, stomping clavinet grooves, or unleashing supernatural acts of elastic vocal acrobatics, it's clear that Wonder revels in the enjoyment of being in the moment, uniting artist and crowd in a wondrous musical communion. Nestled alongside a slew of quintessential Wonder penned classics like "Sir Duke," "I Wish," "Isn't She Lovely" and "Do I Do," Wonder also drew heavily from his 1973 album, Innervisions; his impressive thirteen-piece band, ably led by bassist Nathan Watts, interpreted a winning cross section of material from that seminal album including "Higher Ground," the Latin-tinged "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing," the breezy majestic pop of "Golden Lady" and the funktastic, urban-charged anthem, "Living For The City," its gritty message resonating even stronger today than when it was first recorded more than three decades ago.

During the show, Wonder also unveiled a few lesser played tracks from his double-album masterpiece, Songs In The Key Of Life, embracing the picture perfect pop of "Knocks Me Off My Feet" and a beautiful and moving rendition of "If It's Magic," the solitary harp stylings provided by a member of the 25-piece orchestra, who also lent their rich and supple instrumental flourishes to a number of songs in the set. Boding well for his next musical project, Wonder also introduced a promising new song, "Keep Foolin' Yourself Baby", which the artist informed the audience that the song is earmarked for his next CD, provisionally titled Through the Eyes of Wonder.

Other surprises were a funky, vocoder flavored version of The Spinners' "People Make The World Go 'Round", the instrumental "Spain" by Chick Corea and "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life," which showcased a radio contest winner on dual lead vocals with Wonder.

The show was also a family affair in the truest sense of the word; Wonder's daughter, Aisha (she was the inspiration behind "Isn't She Lovely") sang strong background vocals throughout the show. His older son, Mumtaz, lent his soulful lead vocal expertise to a dynamic mini-reading of "Ribbon In The Sky" while his six-year-old son, Kailand, sat in on a miniature drum kit during show closer, "Superstition," which also featured Howard Hewitt, former lead singer of Shalamar, on guest vocals.

Ken Sharp