September 21st, 2007

By Jed Gottlieb

BOSTON

The awesome power of a fully operational Stevie is a wonder to behold. At last night’s sold-out Stevie Wonder show at the Bank of America Pavilion - the fastest sell-out in the venue’s history - the soul/funk/r & b maestro culled a two-and-a-half hour set of hits and genius ’70s album cuts.

The night began with Wonder’s lovely daughter escorting him to the stage and a few jokes about his fatherly protectiveness (“Blind people carry shotguns and I’m a very good shot”), but quickly turned somber as he dedicated his summer tour, which ended last night, to the memory of his recently passed mother.

The solemnity started to lift as Wonder sat down at the piano and began harmonizing with his daughter on “Love’s in Need of Love Today.” Slowly his 11-piece band joined in backing him up and the piano ballad blended into the keyboard-fired funk-fusion landmark “Too High.”

The crowd wasn’t ready when Wonder asked them to sing out against war, famine and division during “Visions,” but the buttoned-up audience instantly woke up for the sonic and lyrical hard funk of “Living in the City.” Motown’s greatest son turned the flame higher for a dazzling medley of Parliament’s “P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)” and “Higher Ground” - by then half the crowd had wet their Depends while the other half lamented the fact they didn’t raid their teenagers’ rooms weed before the show.

Not every moment was a revelation, and there was a slump in the middle of the set when Wonder spent too much time at the piano doing downtempo tunes, but the worst songs - or, more accurately, the least awesome tunes - still felt magical. During the so-so “Ribbons in the Sky,” he amazingly managed to spur a not-that-boring sing-along. He turned the ’80s staple “Overjoyed” into a lush, dramatic, touching tune.

Wonder rebounded from his marginal syrup with his best pop candy: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” “My Cherie Amour” and “For Once in my Life.” Then he reprised the funk with “Superstition,” “Sir Duke” and many more.

Really, Wonder’s only fault was not going far enough. For the one guy that can do both the sloppy cosmic slop of Parliament and the tightly wound, highly complex disco funk of Earth, Wind and Fire, to not bring a horn section is almost unforgivable. Everything else is in place: the mostly ’70s set list, the lavish arrangements. Just call Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, book the Garden for next month and everything would be perfect.
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