SAY HELLO TO LIONEL
CITY GIG FOR STAR
OPEN-AIR DATE FOR MOTOWN LEGEND
GLOBAL superstar Lionel Richie will perform in Bristol next year. The singer, who has a huge number of hits to his name, will be coming to the city in June for a one-off open air concert as part of his nationwide UK tour.
He is the second big name to announce plans for a Bristol appearance in as many days. On Monday it was announced Canadian rocker Bryan Adams would be playing a concert in Bristol city centre in June. In both cases the exact venue has not been released – announcements on each star’s website merely say “Bristol City Centre”.
That has led to speculation that the venue could be Ashton Gate, as Adams played there before – in May 2003 – but the only known concert scheduled for Ashton Gate next year is The Killers rearranged concert on May 27.
Other suggested venues with a big enough capacity include Gloucestershire County Cricket Club ground and Eastville Park.
Over the course of Richie’s career the performer, now 71, has sold more than 90 million records – making him one of the world’s best selling artists of all time.
With hits including All Night Long, Dancing on the Ceiling and Hello, he won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for Can’t Slow Down, while his other Grammy Awards include Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) in 1985 and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Truly in 1983.
The singer-songwriter from Tuskegee, Alabama first found fame singing and writing songs with The Commodores including the all-time classics Three Times A Lady, Stuck On You, Still, and Easy.
After turning solo, he became one of the most successful artists in the world, earning a string of 13 top ten hits between 1981 and 1987, including nine number one singles such as Endless Love, Truly and Say You (Say Me).
Richie is set to perform in Bristol on June 21, but the venue has not yet been announced.
The show takes place five days before Bryan Adams’ performance in the city. Full location details of the concert are due to be announced in January.
Speaking about the concert, promoters Senbla and AEG said: “We couldn’t be more excited to announce this show.
“Lionel Richie, the icon, deserves an iconic outdoors site to perform at. Due to the current Tier 3 restrictions in Bristol this has meant it wouldn’t be appropriate to announce the location until early in New Year, but we know everyone will be excited as we are!”
Tickets will be available on Ticketmaster or from Bristol Beacon.