Dr. Rock's Music Adventures: Stevie Wonder at Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia on November 22, 2014

In recent months, my wife and I made a list of folks we would go out of our way to see in concert while they still toured. When I heard Stevie Wonder was touring this Fall, I knew my wife and I were going to be able to see someone we had listed very high on our "must see" list. We were lucky enough to be able to make it work to turn it into a fun short trip to Atlanta, Georgia. We visited the Buckhead Diner for lunch, the Lenox shopping area in Buckhead, and stayed at the Ritz Carlton downtown -- very nice!!

VENUE: Philips Arena is the home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. It is a nice arena with modern conveniences and it is close to the downtown hotels. We bought our tickets on StubHub and sat in the first section on stage left, in row K. I was told earlier in the day that "small cameras" were allowed. I took quite a few photos with my Canon Powershot G16. On a humorous note, a guy asked my how many pixels it had. When he said my pictures with the camera were better despite him having as many pixels in his phone, I had to explain that it is the fast lens and the rest of the hardware that allow the Canon G16 to take such good pictures.

HEADLINER: This tour is devoted to playing the whole of the "Songs In The Key of Life" album in its entirety, plus a few other hits. That album holds a special place in many fan's hearts, including mine. I listened to the records (it was spread over 2 records and an EP) many, many times. And I have returned to listen to many of the songs since then. Mr. Wonder is playing a limited number of dates, with the Atlanta show in the middle of the tour. The band included so many heavyweights of R&B, jazz, and beyond: Greg Phillinganes (keyboards), India Arie (vocals), Earl Klugh (guitar), and Nathan Watts (bass). The horn section, the backup singers, the rhythm section (with two drummers and two percussionists), the guitarists, and the keyboard players all contributed to a perfectly crafted musical performance this night in Atlanta. A string section and another small choir joined the stage during some songs to good effect.

Mr. Wonder came to the stage, arm in arm with India Arie and two of Wonder's sons. He spoke to the audience for the first of many times, always making the crowd feel welcome, loved, and appreciated. He then sat at the keyboards and launched into the album plus the 4 EP songs. The band sounded wonderful, perfectly matching the cherished sound of the originals. I was so happy to hear the Mr. Wonder's voice is still in marvelous shape. Highlights in the first part of the set were "Sir Duke", "I Wish", "Knocks Me Off My Feet, "Isn't She Lovely" (featuring Stevie's daughter, referenced on the song and a featured back up singer), "Ordinary Pain", and "Pastime Paradise". Both "Sire Duke" and "I Wish" had the crowd up and dancing while singing along -- these were one of those peak concert experiences that keep me coming to live shows. Wow!

Late in the show, Mr. Wonder played a segment from "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson -- it was transcendent! Then he played "Cherie Amour", "Do I Do", "For Once In My Life", and finished with a glorious "Superstition". During the encores, Janelle Monae joined the group on stage and sang. During "Superstition", Spike Lee appeared on stage and danced with the group of singers.

It was an amazing performance in many ways -- the songs from the featured album were terrific, the vocal and musical performances were great, the crowd was very appreciative, and the closing songs were highlights.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.