Review - Lionel Richie - Chepstow Racecourse
Music in Wales and Nick Langston at an Evening with Lionel Richie at Cheptow Racecourse in 2023.
REVIEWS
Nick Langston
8/1/2023
Review - Lionel Richie - Chepstow Racecourse
The probability of one history's biggest legends appearing in a field in Chepstow has been proven by NASA to be similar to the same field being hit by a flaming meteorite but, in a way, both of those things happened in the Summer of 2023 because the pure energy and star power that Lionel Richie brought to Chepstow Racecourse was something to behold.
It may have been a damp day but the people of Chepstow, South Wales and beyond were utterly undeterred by the weather. The crowds were treated to music from the likes of Gabrielle and Sugababes as warm-up acts but, of course, it was all about Lionel. His band came onto the stage with the full glamour of Vegas meets Hollywood and then there was Lionel's smile, cutting through the drizzle like a laser.
"Chepstow! How y'all doing??!!"
"You know what, Lionel, we are doing just fine because you have literally just lit up the Welsh summer,"
And with that we were into 'Running with the Night' and a collection of singalong ballads including 'Easy' and 'Penny Lover'.
Everybody has a favourite Lionel Richie song but many people forget how The Commodores were a seriously, serious funk band. The strains of 'Brick House' started and suddenly we were witnessing the tightest band on the planet laying down grooves with the feel of James Brown meeting Prince at Stevie Wonder's house. The effortless move into 'Fire' was simply incredible as the band was given space just to have a good time and show what they could do. Even Lionel seemed blown away by the rampant enthusiasm of the crowd.
"What are you guys doing??!! What are you doing in this weather??!! You guys are crazy!! We're gonna need an Ark!!!"
He seemed genuinely bemused at how a little bit of rain couldn't dampen our spirits as he guided the evening back to his classic ballads starting with 'Three Times a Lady'. Perhaps two of the most emotional moments were the crowd taking on the Diana Ross part in the 'Endless Love' duet, plus the unexpected pleasure of getting to sing 'We are the World' with the man who co-wrote it.
"You know what?" He quietly asked us. "Why can't everyone just get along?" Why indeed.
But at that moment, in that field, in that town on the edge of the Wye Valley, with the misty rain drifting over the forests and cliffs in the background, with the clouds slowly clearing, we all got along just fine. In fact, it was better than fine. Thank you, Lionel.
