Lionel Richie was reportedly taken to a local hospital after he was forced to end the opening night of his 26-city tour early on Wednesday (June 24).
As reported by TMZ, the 77-year-old singer-songwriter was roughly 55 minutes into his set at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, when he sat down on a platform during "Dancing on the Ceiling." He addressed the moment between songs.
"When you're feeling dizzy, sit your ass down," he told the audience. "That's the first time in my career I've sat during 'Dancing on the Ceiling'... not good, not good."
After performing “Dancing on the Ceiling,” he sat down at a piano for "Three Times a Lady,” which was ultimately his last song. The rest of the show was confirmed as canceled when one of his band members returned to the stage approximately 30 minutes later and announced that Richie could not perform.
“Unfortunately, Lionel is not feeling well,” his saxophonist, Dino Soldo, told the audience. “He won’t be able to continue with the show. Thank you for your patience and your understanding.”
Sources told TMZ that paramedics met with Richie backstage, and he was taken to a nearby hospital.
Richie's next scheduled date is Friday (June 26) at the United Center in Chicago, although it’s unclear if the show is still expected to go ahead. On the tour, Richie has been joined by Earth, Wind & Fire. The band’s drummer, John Paris, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Richie had been “a little dehydrated” but showed no signs of being ill before the show.
As of this writing, Richie does not appear to have publicly elaborated on the nature of Wednesday night’s incident. The tour, if it continues to go ahead, is expected to run through to mid-August with a final show in Austin, Texas.
