Lionel Richie has postponed two concerts after the opening night of his Sing Along All Night Long tour was cut short when he suffered a dizzy spell.
The 77‑year‑old singer was performing at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday night (24.06.26), when he suddenly appeared unsteady and told the audience he needed to sit down.
Fans initially thought the moment was part of the performance, but Richie quickly made it clear he wasn’t feeling well.
While attempting to continue with Dancing on the Ceiling, he lowered himself onto a platform and admitted he was experiencing dizziness. In an effort to keep the crowd at ease, he joked about performing while seated before moving to a piano for a stripped‑back rendition of Three Times a Lady.
What began as a brief pause soon turned into a much longer interruption. Richie stepped backstage, leaving his band to hold the stage for roughly 15 minutes before they, too, exited as pre‑recorded music filled the arena.
Audience members waited for nearly 40 minutes before saxophonist Dino Soldo emerged to explain that Richie was too unwell to return and that the show could not continue.
Richie has now been advised by doctors “to rest and return to full health”, meaning he won’t be play Chicago on Friday (26.06.26) and Columbus on Saturday (27.06.26).
The plan is for him to return to the stage on June 30 in Pittsburgh.
A statement from Live Nation Chicago read: “He and Earth, Wind and Fire will return to the stage on Tuesday, June 30 in Pittsburgh, PA. “Lionel is heartbroken to postpone these two shows and cannot wait to be back performing for his fans.”
The Stuck On You singer has vowed to make it up to fans and reschedule the pair of shows.
It added: “We apologize for any inconvenience this causes fans who have tickets for these two shows.
“Rescheduled dates will be announced soon.”
Earth, Wind and Fire drummer John Paris later told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Richie had seemed perfectly fine earlier in the day and suggested “a little dehydration” may have been the culprit. The singer had shown no outward signs of illness before the concert began.
Richie has more than 20 shows in North America, with Earth, Wind and Fire joining Richie for the full tour. The schedule includes major cities such as Toronto, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with the US leg set to wrap in Austin on August 14.
After the North American dates, the singer is booked for additional shows in Malta and the UK before returning to the US for a St. Louis date and then heading to Brazil for a December performance in São Paulo. (Contactmusic)
