Lionel Richie’s ‘All Night Lounge’ sets up shop at Union Transfer

Lionel Richie condensed his big arena show into the “intimate” Union Transfer on Saturday night. The pop icon came to Philadelphia for a special concert open to Wells Fargo cardholders, and while the venue was small, the show was not small. He brought his full show production across the country in a couple trucks to make the one-night-only event one to remember.

As the sold out crowd filtered in excited for the experience, you saw fans in custom Lionel Richie jackets and others dancing to the pre-show playlist. It all kicked off with an opening video montage to which his band played along to, before Richie made his appearance. The 18-song set list included songs from his whole discography and songs from the Commodores. He performed all the hits with the crowd singing back to him, making Saturday night a “karaoke night” for his fans.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a small venue,” Richie shared. He had a fun, informal vibe throughout the show, and seemed happy to break up the parade of arenas for an intimate performance with his fans. (His year continues with a Vegas residency, followed by a European tour; dates here.) He told stories about being an American Idol judge, and gave lucky fans in the front row high-fives throughout the performance. The video projections playing behind the band on stage took the show up a level and you could imagine it being on the bigger stages he’ll play later this year. Even with having his full production with him, Richie created a fun, intimate night.

Check out more photos from the show and the setlist below.