Lionel Richie

Information

Lionel Richie
Planet Hollywood
3667 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-777-2782
website
$44-$344
Varies, check schedule
Vegas4Visitors Grade: B+

At a Glance

What is it?

A headlining stint from R&B legend Lionel Richie.

Where is it?

In a 4,000-seat theater at Planet Hollywood on the Center Strip.

Is it worth the cost?

Richie is still a remarkable entertainer so it absolutely is.

Why should I see this show?

Becuase you’re once, twice, three times a lady?

What else do I need to know?

Mr. Richie will be splitting his time between here and Hollywood as a new “American Idol” judge.

What’s the bottom line?

A surprisingly entertaining show with songs you may have forgotten how much you love.

Full Review

Lionel Richie is one of those singers that is kind of easy to dismiss. He hasn’t had a real hit in decades and his last few years of relative relativity in the late 1980s were full of mostly forgettable songs like “Say You, Say Me.”

But dismissing Richie as a singer, a songwriter, and an entertainer is not something he’s willing to let you do, as evidenced by his “All the Hits” playing at Planet Hollywood He takes the stage like a tiger ready to pounce and willing to claw his way back into your heart and mind and he does it.

Let’s forget about the late 80s for a minute and go back further to his start with The Commodores…”Easy,” “Brick House,” “Three Times a Lady,” “Sail On,” “Still.” Need more? Let’s move onto his time as a solo artist… “”Truly,” “All Night Long,” “Running with the Night,” “Hello,” “Stuck on You,” “Endless Love…” Do I really need to go on? Unless you are a Richie devotee, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard these songs in years and when he performs them in this show you’ll remember how much you loved them. And you’ll be surprised that you still remember all the words.

Richie is a consumate entertainer – funny, a little self-deprecating, and sassy with the audience when he needs to be. Relying less on stage gimmicks and more on his voice and his band, this is a throwback show in the best possible meaning of the phrase. He sounds great, he looks great, and he really knows how to get the audience “Dancing on the Ceiling” when he wants to.

There are a lot of retro entertainers in Vegas but if you dismiss Lionel Richie, you’ll only have yourself to blame.

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