The Dish on Stevie Wonder
Have you ever seen Stevie Wonder perform live? I mean, maybe you've just heard his greatest hits, maybe you've even heard all of his songs hundreds of times... but how does it really feel live? After all, the more familiar you are with Stevie's music, the more you know that he plays many different instruments on the same song by way of multi-track recording. Also as far as 'packaged product' is concerned, although Motown gave him artistic freedom in 1970, the sequence and feeling of the songs certainly can't be the same live when he has to switch instruments and plan around logistical needs like bringing whole string orchestras on and off the stage, right?.... Not so!! Stevie has composed and played music at a very high level for too long to allow that to happen, and he has friends!
The regulars and OGs of his band consist of about 15 of the most soulful and virtuosic men and women from various heavy hitting circles of music around the world. Their performances are also frequently in collaboration with local orchestras as instrumentation is needed. On top of that, many of his band mates are also multi-instrumentalists, so he can switch off piano and play the harmonica, drums or what not, and all the parts can still be covered while other musicians are switching around from bass to piano or vocals to bongos for example. He can also rock the entire show from the middle of 3 pianos [two electric, and one acoustic] which have all the vocal mics, harmonicas, and talkboxes he needs to make 20,000 lose their everloving minds!
Ok for the actual experience of the show... it's breathtaking beyond words. The way the energy rises and falls during the buildup is like none other, and he capitalizes on the buzz of it all at key moments to connect with the audience and talk to them about global issues which are important to him. I think this is especially important because it breathes further life to the music itself because the songs are reflective of the beliefs he really expresses regularly as he addresses tens of thousands of his fans in the same breath as his family.
If you're a fan and you expect to hear his music live exactly the way you heard it on the album, you certainly will not! Stevie and the band are extremely creative and flexible with how they embellish on the existing material and meld from one song into another to create a stream of fresh and exciting musical experience, even for the listener who thinks they know the whole discography. This even proves to be the case over the course of a month between concerts on the same tour which shows the ensemble's dedication to constantly pushing the music forward.
There's also a tongue in cheek cinematic aspect of the performances which sort of rounds off the experience and bridges the vibes of the live musical performance aspect and the more formal and serious political address aspect.
