Lionel Richie was forced to end a concert early after becoming unwell during the opening night of his Sing a Song All Night Long Tour in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The music legend, 77, took to the stage at Grand Casino Arena on Wednesday night but was unable to complete the performance after reportedly suffering from dizziness less than an hour into the show.
Lionel Richie tells fans he feels dizzy on stage
According to reports from the Minnesota Star Tribune, Richie appeared to struggle during a performance of his hit song Dancing on the Ceiling, sitting down on stage several times as the show progressed.
Addressing the audience, he explained what was happening.
“When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your ass down.”
The singer then moved to the piano to perform the Commodores classic Three Times a Lady before announcing an unexpected intermission.
Concert cancelled after extended break
Following Richie’s departure from the stage, his band continued playing for approximately 15 minutes before also leaving.
Roughly 40 minutes later, saxophonist Dino Soldo returned to update fans on the situation and confirmed the concert would not continue.
“Unfortunately, Lionel is not feeling well.”
“He won’t be able to continue. Additional information will be available.”
The announcement brought the show to an early conclusion after around 55 minutes.
Dehydration suspected as cause
Richie has not yet publicly commented on the incident or provided an official update on his condition.
However, Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris, whose band is co-headlining the tour, suggested dehydration may have played a role.
“He’s a little dehydrated.”
Paris also noted that Richie did not appear to be experiencing any issues before taking the stage.
Tour had just begun
The Minnesota concert marked the opening night of Richie’s latest North American tour alongside Earth, Wind & Fire.
Ahead of the show, the Hello and All Night Long hitmaker shared behind-the-scenes photos on social media and thanked his touring team for their efforts preparing for the run of dates.
The Sing a Song All Night Long Tour is currently scheduled to continue through 14 August, with the next stop planned for Chicago on Friday.
Fans await update on remaining tour dates
At the time of writing, there have been no announcements regarding cancellations or postponements of upcoming shows.
Fans will be hoping the health scare proves to be a temporary setback as Richie prepares to continue the 26-date tour.
