September 21st, 2007

By Scott McLennan

BOSTON

Wonder affirmed his genius as a writer, arranger and performer with a rich overview of his work presented in a completely unbuttoned fashion.

BOSTON— Stevie Wonder concluded his first concert tour in a dozen years on Thursday in Boston, and neither the artist nor packed house seemingly wanted it to end. The magnificent Wonder sang and played without break for nearly three hours right up to the Bank of America Pavilion’s curfew, forgetting about such protocol as leaving the stage for a curtain call and returning for encores. The man and his band just kept going until he was told he could go no more.

And what a trip he took. Wonder affirmed his genius as a writer, arranger and performer with a rich overview of his work presented in a completely unbuttoned fashion. Wonder began the night by explaining how his decision to tour again was a way to honor his mother who died last year, and the concert took on the appearance of watching someone work his way through grief toward joy.

Starting out with “Love’s In Need of Love Today,” Wonder and his daughter Aisha Morris together sparked the tune’s slow groove while the remainder of Wonder’s 11-piece band filtered in, building to a rousing conclusion.


From there, Wonder cracked open his 1973 masterpiece “Innervisions” (with all but two songs from that album making it onto the set list) for searing renditions of “Too High,” “Visions” and “Living for the City.” As he wailed away on electric keys and flashed the sharp edges of those songs, it was immediately clear that Wonder was not about to tritely move through his songs or slap together crowd-pleasing but ultimately flimsy medleys.

Wonder fell deeper into the funk by sprinkling Parliament-Funkadelic snippets into his jamming brew “Master Blaster,” and then sustained the raucous energy of the concert’s early segment with a glorious reading of “Higher Ground.”

Switching over to acoustic piano allowed Wonder’s deft vocal talents to shine. A honey-dipped rendition of “Golden Lady” gave way to a long audience-participation arrangement of “Ribbon in the Sky.”

Wonder turned to his percussion battery to snap the mellowness of the ballads section as congas pounded out the start to “Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing.” Stoking a groovy joy in the house, Wonder had some fun working up a country version of his early Motown hit “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” Wonder stayed in his early-hits period for a spell with delightful renditions of “My Cherie Amour” and “For Once in My Life,” one of a handful of songs that demonstrated Wonder’s ongoing prowess as a harmonica player.

Wonder’s harmonica figured most prominently in “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” on which he invited a guest harp player to trade licks with him.

From there, Wonder powered through one huge song after another. The jazzy snap of “Sir Duke” opened a segment dedicated to “Songs in the Key of Life” that touched upon the wistful “I Wish” and sugary “Isn’t She Lovely,” performed this night with the song’s inspiration, Aisha, seated by her father’s side.

Wonder left “Songs in the Key of Life” to visit “Talking Book,” from which he pulled out the lush “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and a barnstorming “Superstition,” masterfully bridging his pop and rock sensibilities.

While he may not have intended to end the concert with “As,” the song Wonder was performing as curfew approached, the triumphant ode to love from “Songs in the Key of Life” proved a suitable note to end on. As Wonder heartily belted out “I’ll be loving you always,” he made it easy to beam the sentiment right back at him.