Lionel Richie performs closing night of Montreal Jazz Festival despite recent health scare

Lionel Richie delivered the closing night of the Festival international de jazz de Montréal on July 6, at Centre Bell — a triumphant return after a health scare forced him to cut short a concert in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 24.

During that first date of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour, Richie had to sit down during "Dancing on the Ceiling" and ended the show less than an hour after it began. The setback raised questions about whether the 77-year-old legend could complete his current tour.

But Richie arrived in Montreal refreshed and in good humour. "Yes, Yes! Yes!" he declared, pumping his fist as the crowd erupted. Between songs like "Stuck on You" and "Sail On," he took generous gulps from a bottle of electrolytes — a gesture that drew knowing laughs from the audience. "It's the kind of thing you can expect when you reach the 80s," he joked, quoting unsolicited advice he'd received. The crowd roared when he revealed his actual age: 77.

The evening was a masterclass in traditional showmanship. Richie cycled through four leather vests, performed a string of 1980s maximalist hits — "Hello," "Running with the Night," "All Night Long," "Dancing on the Ceiling" — and offered duets that included a virtual performance of "Endless Love" with Diana Ross (and an in-person regrettable turn with a Kenny Rogers hologram). He closed with "We Are the World" after spending the night saying "I Love You" to his audience more than a hundred times.

Member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and judge on American Idol, Richie remains Showbiz incarnate — a generous entertainer always hovering just at the edge of kitsch, but giving audiences exactly what they came for.