Stevie Wonder returns to Glasgow tonight (Wednesday November 11), taking to the OVO Hydro stage for the first time and making his first appearance in the city since 1989.
His Songs In The Key of Life Performances - 50th Anniversary Tour marks half a century since the release of one of the most influential albums ever made, with Glasgow the final date on the UK run.
The 25-time GRAMMY Award–winning artist will perform the album in its entirety, backed by an ensemble of around 25 musicians and artists, including members of his own family on stage.
The tour has so far garnered exceptional reviews, with Wonder interacting with the audience during a marathon performance running around three hours.
For the city of Glasgow this is a long-awaited return. Wonder first played Glasgow in 1965 as 14-year-old “Little Stevie Wonder” on the Tamla Motown Revue, returned as a headliner in 1969 and last performed in the city in Hall Four of the SEC in 1989.
Here is everything you need to know before you go.
What time do the doors open for Stevie Wonder in Glasgow?
Doors open at 6.30pm and close at 11pm. The artist is expected on stage around 8pm.
At the Manchester show earlier this week there was no support act and Wonder appeared on stage shortly after 8pm and finished just after 11pm. Make sure you arrive in good time at the OVO Hydro.
What songs will Stevie Wonder perform in Glasgow?
The whole of Songs In The Key of Life, and something extra.
At the tour opener in Birmingham, Wonder played all 21 songs from the album and its bonus EP, “A Something’s Extra”, across two sets with an interval.
The first began with “Love’s in Need of Love Today” and continued with “Sir Duke”, “I Wish”, “Ordinary Pain”, “Saturn” and “Ebony Eyes”. The second set opened with “Isn’t She Lovely” and included “Black Man”, “If It’s Magic”, “As” and “Another Star”, along with the remaining EP tracks.
London also included a harmonica jam with his horn section, which saw the James Bond theme transition into a version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. In London and Manchester, he was joined on stage by his daughter for a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine”. Some of the shows have included a hits medley and several have ended with “Superstition”, from his 1972 album “Talking Book”.
The running order has changed from night to night.
Who is joining Stevie Wonder on stage?
Wonder is backed by a band of 25+ artists, including two musicians who played on the original 1976 recordings: bassist Nathan Watts and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. Harpist Brandee Younger has joined him for performances of “If It’s Magic”.
His daughter Aisha Morris, for whom he wrote “Isn’t She Lovely”, is one of the backing singers and, in London, his son Mandla Morris joined him for “Have a Talk with God”, while his daughter Zaiah Morris sang on “Imagine”.
Guest appearances vary from show to show.
How has the tour been received?
The tour has drawn exceptional reviews since opening in Birmingham in October. Clash called the London show a stirring three-hour set that belied his 76 years, with its reviewer concluding it was “one of the best gigs I have ever been to”.
In Manchester, Wonder delighted a sold-out Co-op Live with an impression of a Manchester accent and an impassioned call to world leaders to work for peace.