Lionel Richie will briefly hit pause on his summer tour with Earth, Wind & Fire as he recovers from an unspecified health issue.
The 77-year-old Grammy-winning hitmaker of “Hello” and “Say You, Say Me” has postponed his Friday concert at Chicago’s United Center and another show Saturday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, the United Center announced Thursday. The singer is following doctor’s orders “to rest and return to full health” after he brought his first tour stop to an abrupt end Wednesday evening.
“Lionel is heartbroken to postpone these two shows and cannot wait to be back performing for his fans,” Thursday’s announcement continued.
Richie is scheduled to resume the tour Tuesday and hit the stage with Earth, Wind & Fire at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, the notice confirmed. The announcement also said new dates for the postponed shows will be announced soon.
Richie unexpectedly stopped the Wednesday concert at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn., after taking a seat on stage multiple times during his performance of “Dancing on the Ceiling” and telling his audience he felt “dizzy,” according to videos shared on social media.
“What I have learned about my years of being in the business, when you are feeling dizzy, sit your a— down,” he joked, according to a TikTok posted Wednesday evening by user ynaffitmocha. “When you are feeling strange about yourself, sit your a— down.”
Moments later, saxophonist Dino Soldo informed the audience that the singer was “not feeling well” and would not continue the concert. A representative for the singer did not respond to inquiries about his condition, but TMZ reported on Thursday the singer-songwriter was hospitalized after the health scare. Paramedics reportedly met the artist backstage and transported him to a nearby hospital out of precaution.
A spokesperson for the St. Paul Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.
Live Nation announced “American Idol” judge Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire’s joint tour in January, unveiling a 26-city circuit that includes stops in Chicago, Orlando, Fla., San Francisco and Los Angeles. Richie and the “September” group are scheduled to play Inglewood’s Intuit Dome on Aug. 9. The tour ends Aug. 14 with a show at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
