Stevie Wonder Tribute

I'm surprised to see nobody beat me to posting about the Stevie Wonder tribute that aired last night. I thought that it was a wonderful show that could easily have been three hours long instead of two. It's hard to believe that he's been in the game for five decades and his influence over musical performers hasn't seemed to wane.

Anyway, the performances were fantastic, especially [[in my opinion) Andrea Bocelli, who was out of his element but managed to match some of Stevie's unique notes wonderfully. I didn't see who the concertmaster was, but the band [[presumably Stevie's) was consistently fantastic for all of the songs, so that guy deserves props as well. I think it's safe to say we won't see someone like Stevie Wonder again and I hope his star never wanes.

It was a great tribute,to Stevie Wonder,maybe they could have had a part 2,anyway i'm just happy,they did one,that Mary Wilson,dammmmm she's BEAUTIFUL,loved it.

Was a great tribute with many great performances. Annie Lennox was a favorite from last night.

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Originally Posted by Jerry Oz

I'm surprised to see nobody beat me to posting about the Stevie Wonder tribute that aired last night. I thought that it was a wonderful show that could easily have been three hours long instead of two. It's hard to believe that he's been in the game for five decades and his influence over musical performers hasn't seemed to wane.

Anyway, the performances were fantastic, especially [[in my opinion) Andrea Bocelli, who was out of his element but managed to match some of Stevie's unique notes wonderfully. I didn't see who the concertmaster was, but the band [[presumably Stevie's) was consistently fantastic for all of the songs, so that guy deserves props as well. I think it's safe to say we won't see someone like Stevie Wonder again and I hope his star never wanes.

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Jerry there is a thread in the Motown Forum I started on Feb. 12 about this tribute with pictures, videos and loads of comments if you care to view it. I agree. We will not see another Stevie Wonder or an artist similar to him. Heck, it's been what? More than 50 years and there hasn't been one to come along of this magnitude.

Greg Phillinganes, was the musical director for last night's program.

I looked at the Motown Forum but I only checked the first handful of threads, so I should have looked a little further down, Marv2. My bad. I'm not surprised to hear it was Greg Phillinganes. He did a lot of great work going back to the '80s and has worked with a lot of remarkable artists. Another one of those that more people should know about.

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Originally Posted by marv2

Jerry there is a thread in the Motown Forum I started on Feb. 12 about this tribute with pictures, videos and loads of comments if you care to view it. I agree. We will not see another Stevie Wonder or an artist similar to him. Heck, it's been what? More than 50 years and there hasn't been one to come along of this magnitude.

Greg Phillinganes, was the musical director for last night's program.

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I was a bit surprised that there wasn't a thread either but that explains it. Don't visit the Motown forum often but will check it out for the review, video and pics. Thanx marv2

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Originally Posted by glencro

Was a great tribute with many great performances. Annie Lennox was a favorite from last night.

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glencro, It was a great tribute! Everyone performed well but I take my hat off to Mr. Tony Bennett. Did you hear this man range, and I think he's about 88 years old! I wish there were still tickets available to see Tony and GaGa at Radio City, but all the shows are completely sold out. Hopefully I will get to see Mr. Wonder in NJ in April.

Tony Bennett is still going strong. His pairing with GaGa is one of the most remarkable pop/jazz projects in years. I was skeptical at first, but both seem to bring the absolute best out of the other. After Bocelli, my favorite performance was John Legend singing 'I Believe [[When I Fall In Love)'. I also loved Annie Lennox. The only sketchy performance was by Babyface and Ariana Grande. Their blend wasn't impressive for me; I would have preferred Babyface do his song as a solo. His voice is as identifiable as Stevie's and he toned it down too much.

I enjoyed Lady Gaga. I thought she got off on "I Wish". That Babyface and Ariana Grande performance was my least favorite. The show was fantastic.

I missed the first 20 minutes, but enjoyed what I saw.

My personal fave was watching one of my fave new people, Janele Monae, singing my fave and one of the greatest love songs of all time.....AS....with those other 2 women.

the last part was a joke....to those of you who don't me.

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Originally Posted by nysister

glencro, It was a great tribute! Everyone performed well but I take my hat off to Mr. Tony Bennett. Did you hear this man range, and I think he's about 88 years old! I wish there were still tickets available to see Tony and GaGa at Radio City, but all the shows are completely sold out. Hopefully I will get to see Mr. Wonder in NJ in April.

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nysister, yes Tony Bennett was amazing. I'm in awe of his range and clarity in his voice at that age. What a class act. I'm sure that concert with him and GaGa is going to be great.

Would've been much better if it were just a Stevie Wonder concert. Half of the people on that show sucked all of the Soul out of Stevie's music. There were some decent performances [[Jill Scott, Janelle Monae, and India Arie), but more so some wretched ones [[Lady Gaga immediately comes to mind). I was channel surfing half way through.

It's the thought that counts. Nobody - and I mean NOBODY - is going to render Stevie Wonder song as well as he did it. Neither did I expect them to, but I enjoyed seeing someone whom I admire get the admiration of today's artists [[even though I don't care for most of their singing, myself).

This would have been better executed on PBS, Encore Black, or maybe even TVOne. That way, a better array of performers could've been chosen. Kinda defeats the purpose of paying tribute if most of the performers turn out pretty soulless performances.

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Originally Posted by timmyfunk

This would have been better executed on PBS, Encore Black, or maybe even TVOne. That way, a better array of performers could've been chosen. Kinda defeats the purpose of paying tribute if most of the performers turn out pretty soulless performances.

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What he said.

Not speaking to the quality of the performers who participated, most of whom are NOT on my playlist, but I'm interested in hearing from somebody who would have been in the 'better array' of performers that you would appreciate? In my opinion, Stevie's on a higher level than anybody and those who are near him are either dead or too old to perform well on a live stage.

Jeff Beck, Gladys Knight, Eddie Levert, Bettye LaVette, Aretha Franklin, The Rascals to name a few who are of his time, and understand the nuances of song and genre and, I think, would have put on much stronger performances than anyone on it. Of course, they are not "the beautiful people" that the Grammys use to draw in a larger audience. They come to mind on the spot. I know that there are still other "classic" artists who can outsing any of those artists who appeared.

Ronnie Isley, Bill Withers, Bill Medley

Calling an event 'An All-Star Tribute to Stevie Wonder' would be a misnomer with a lineup of artists who haven't had a collective hit in the last 20 years. It would be a much better lineup for an intimate gathering than something showing in primetime. Keep in mind that the program came on at 9:00 PM [[EST) and on network television. Half of the folks who tuned in to the broadcast watched because they love Stevie Wonder and another half tuned in because they wanted to see the singers who participated. I'm not sure CBS would have had return on its investment even if they scheduled all of the artists you listed.

Not just that, but Annie Lennox, Andrea Bocelli, Jill Scott, india arie, Usher, John Legend, and Tony Bennett are not exactly sloughs. Each of them has been performing for at least a decade. Some of them are also not among the 'beautiful people' that typically pepper pop radio.

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Originally Posted by nysister

glencro, It was a great tribute! Everyone performed well but I take my hat off to Mr. Tony Bennett. Did you hear this man range, and I think he's about 88 years old! I wish there were still tickets available to see Tony and GaGa at Radio City, but all the shows are completely sold out. Hopefully I will get to see Mr. Wonder in NJ in April.

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Wow 4 nights @ 6,000 seats! Probably could have sold out more dates. I saw Mr. Bennett last year and his phrasing was superb. He could really cut loose too......@ 88 young years old. Don't make em like that anymore

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Originally Posted by detmotownguy

Wow 4 nights @ 6,000 seats! Probably could have sold out more dates. I saw Mr. Bennett last year and his phrasing was superb. He could really cut loose too......@ 88 young years old. Don't make em like that anymore

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detmotownguy, you got that right!

Jerry-I want to clarify my choices and then I'm outta this one. I wasn't talking about an all star tribute for network TV. I was talking about artists that I thought would be more well suited for performing his songs. I know networks and awards shows are all about ratings. And what I called the beautiful people included Legend and all the other flavors that tv audiences are enthralled with.

I understand. Curiously, as a Stevie fan, I can honestly say that I wouldn't be interested in a tribute album [[a la the Eagles 'Common Thread' LP). But if I was going to pay to watch a concert, I agree that I'd prefer to see the artists you listed before the ones who were on the broadcast.