Big Bloated Spectacle Lacking Substance
by WTom76 on 2023-08-11Rating: 2 out of 5Something tells me Lionel Richie knows he doesn't have it anymore, who could blame him. When he started his music career with The Commodores back in the day, he likely, like most musicians/singers couldn't even conceive of performing into his 70s. The politically correct thing to say is his show at Scotiabank Arena was eye catching spectacle with a huge production budget supporting a performer with a proven catalogue of hits. In reality, it seemed Lionel knows his voice isn't the same, his energy is going to be lower (as should be expected) and he has to make up for it somehow. Lionel made up for it by blasting the audience with a backing audio/visual spectacle that provided cover for the reality that Lionel's voice struggles to keep up with his 70s/80s catalogue of hits. It created a distracting concert of over the top spectacle with a game crowd enjoying a performer who hadn't been on the road for five-years. But whether the concert was good is the question and it's a question that if you judged by Lionel's vocal range and ability to keep track of lyrics, you'd have to say no.
