Lionel Richie Cuts Concert Short After Falling Ill During First Night Of Tour

Lionel Richie was forced to end Wednesday’s opening night of his “Sing a Song All Night Long Tour featuring Earth, Wind and Fire” 55 minutes into his performance after falling ill onstage, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. The artist, who was dressed in a leather jacket and pants, sat down onstage to sing “Dancing on the Ceiling,” per a video shared on social media by the Tribune’s Music critic Jon Bream, and explained to the audience that he was feeling “dizzy” and “strange.” He reportedly told the crowd he’d never performed the song sitting, sharing, “When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your ass down.” After then singing “Three Times a Lady” at the piano, the 77-year-old singer declared an intermission and exited the stage, per the Tribune, with the paper noting that Richie’s band left 15 minutes after his departure. Nearly 40 minutes after the intermission had been called, saxophonist Dino Soldo shared that Richie wasn’t feeling well and won’t continue, adding that additional information will be available. Richie has not released a public statement on the incident as of publication but did upload pictures to social media ahead of the show sharing his excitement. The tour’s next concert is scheduled for Friday, June 26 in Chicago, Illinois.