After a successful joint outing in 2023, Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind and Fire will kick off another tour together in St. Paul on June 24 at Grand Casino Arena.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. Citi cardholders have access to a presale that runs from 10 a.m. Tuesday through 10 p.m. Sunday.
The two acts drew a crowd of about 13,000 to the former Xcel Energy Center in August 2023.
An Alabama native, Richie considered becoming a priest but chose to pursue music instead. In 1968, he joined the Commodores as a singer and saxophonist. The band signed to Motown and scored a series of hits including “Easy,” “Brick House,” “Three Times a Lady” and “Lady (You Bring Me Up).”
In 1980, Richie wrote the No. 1 hit “Lady” for Kenny Rogers. The following year, he sang the theme song for the film “Endless Love” with Diana Ross, which became one of Motown’s biggest hits. Richie then went solo and released a string of successful singles including “Truly,” “All Night Long (All Night),” “Hello,” “Say You, Say Me” and “Dancing on the Ceiling.”
In the late ’80s, Richie took a break from his career to care for his father, who died in 1990. In the time since, he has taken a more casual approach to music, occasionally releasing new music and touring sporadically. In 2018, he joined Katy Perry and Luke Bryan as a judge on “American Idol,” a gig he has continued annually including the currently airing 24th season.
Founded in Chicago in 1969 by the late Maurice White, Earth, Wind and Fire has earned 17 Grammy nominations, including a lifetime achievement award in 2016, and a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
While the band’s time spent ruling the pop charts is now in the past, EWF did release a series of classic singles still heard on radio, including “Shining Star,” “September,” “Boogie Wonderland” and “After the Love Has Gone.”
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