Photo - Lenny Ignelzi, AP

Stevie Wonder gets an assist from daughter Aisha Morris, who was the baby heard giggling on his hit Isn't She Lovely?



By Marcia Manna, Special for USA TODAY
 

Event/date: A Wonder Summer's Night, Thursday's opening night of Stevie Wonder's first U.S. tour in more than a decade.
Crowd: Mostly boomers, but little kids and Gen Xers, too.

The look: California casual. Most wore jeans, T-shirts and sneakers, though some women opted for flirty summer dresses. Stevie Wonder fit right in, with a scattering of tiny, white shells decorating his braids and a cream-colored, ribbon-trimmed tunic top.

Stage setting: Flanked by rows of towering palm trees, the stage was set with double percussion and keyboard stations, three vocal mikes for the background singers.

Wonder's setup: A black baby grand faced a Hohner clavinet, set above a Motif 8 keyboard.

The band: The sizzling 11-piece group included Wonder's daughter, singer Aisha Morris. (She's the one squealing in the bathtub on Isn't She Lovely. )

The cause: The tour is a tribute to Wonder's mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, who died in May 2006. Wonder told the crowd that if it were not for the fans who listened to his music, he couldn't have given his mother the good life she had, then opened his set with Love's in Need of Love Today.

Venue: With just 1,360 seats, Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay in San Diego is a small venue for Wonder. The outdoor location is on the water, and folks in kayaks and sailing vessels pull up to the edge to hear shows for free.

Onstage quotable: After showcasing his soaring vocal runs during Ribbon in the Sky, Wonder paused to sip a "nasty concoction that will make a black man sing" from a white porcelain cup. "Three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, three spoons of honey and, no — no whiskey. Son, you know I can't drive when I drink whiskey."

Persistent shout-out from lady in the back: She wants him to play Always. She means the song As, with the refrain, "I'll be loving you always." Wonder probably can't hear her.

Hottest song:Living for the City had fans on their feet, singing along. So did Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours. And My Cherie Amour. And Master Blaster (Jammin'). And Sir Duke. And Superstition. Not a lot of sitting at this gig.

Attendance: The show sold out within minutes.

Scalper hunt: Two ticketless guys wearing dreadlock wigs slinked through the crowd holding signs that said: "Me Wanna See Stevie."

Strange spot for a picnic: Traffic zooms past the entrance of Humphrey's on Shelter Island Drive. On the road's grassy, 5-foot-wide median, folks needing to hear the wonder of Stevie set up folding chairs, rolled out blankets and used coolers as makeshift tables.

Trying to get in: Isaac and Loraine Levy joined about 30 others in line and tried to get tickets. "His music is ageless," says Isaac. "In every decade, he's been loved and by old and new fans." Adds Lorraine: "I'd stand outside, just to hear him."

Memorable moment: Wonder asked daughter Aisha to sit next to him when he sang Joy Inside My Tears. She patted his back and wiped away the tears that fell from beneath Wonder's sunglasses.

Last song of the night: The long-requested As segues into Another Star (from Songs in the Key of Life).

Next stops: Lake Tahoe, Nev. (tonight), Santa Barbara, Calif. (Tuesday)