Lionel Richie powers through for a high-energy night at The Muny

It’s no secret that music legend Lionel Richie faced a health challenge during his “Sing A Song All Night Long” tour. Richie pointed it out himself during his essentially sold-out concert at The Muny Saturday night that closed out their 2026 season.

“Some things have been happening on this tour that kind of shook me up a little bit, because I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on,” Richie said. “I went back to the doctor, and he said, ‘You are suffering from dehydration.’”

But through sheer determination — and several sips of electrolytes — Richie not only powered through, but he gave fans a night to remember.

“I’m telling you, this stuff is nasty — but it works,” Richie said while drinking. He even worked the scare into his act. He said an elderly fan instructed him to use castor oil as a remedy. He also said that his fellow “American Idol” judge Luke Bryan jokingly suggested he take to alcohol for hydration.

Both stories landed well with the crowd — as did his entire set, backed by a stellar band. Without an intermission, Richie remained on his feet until his “All Night Long” finale. And for nearly the whole show — a compilation of his five decades of hits — fans were up with him.

It didn’t take any convincing, but Richie urged them anyway.

The audience was already warmed up thanks to multi-instrumentalist Lamar Harris, who also DJs under the moniker DJ Nune. His set — which included occasional trombone solos — was a masterclass in the power of a well-curated Black family cookout playlist.

With some of the biggest hits of the ’70s and ’80s, the vibe was already set when Richie hit the stage with his classic ballad “Hello.”

He quickly picked up the pace with “Running With the Night.”

“I could not stand the idea of me being on this stage sweating to death, and you all sitting in the seats — dry as a bone,” Richie told the crowd. “I just had to make you sweat just a little bit.”

And so began the ebb and flow of the night. Richie’s show was a well-curated reflection of his catalog — a balanced mix of up-tempo dance tracks and mid-tempo easy listening.

He also compelled fans to sing along.

“Most of you came to hear me sing tonight,” Richie said. “That’s not gonna happen. What you are going to hear tonight is the person you are sitting close to. They are going to be singing their hearts out, telling all of their business — and I’m up here on stage sweating to death.”

He offered positive reinforcement to keep the audience chorus energized.

“Have y’all been rehearsing — what the hell is going on here?” he asked after directing them to join him for “Stuck on You.”

They continued through “Sail On” and “You Are.” They combined the singing with dancing during “Dancing on the Ceiling,” with Richie adding more energy by mashing a portion of the song with Van Halen’s “Jump.”

“Three Times a Lady” offered a bit of reprieve before he jumped into a medley of hits from his days as the lead singer of The Commodores — or as Richie put it, “back when all I had to do was say ‘owwww.’”

He performed “Fancy Dancer” and “Brick House,” with a taste of The Ohio Players’ “Fire” mixed in — a moment that paired well with his use of pyrotechnics.

Richie grew emotional during his “Lady” duet with Kenny Rogers, aided by video technology. He said the Muny audience was the first to ever see the moment.

“That’s probably one of the hardest songs I’ve had to sing in my life, knowing how much I miss that crazy man,” Richie said.

He also became political.

“Looking at this audience, it’s kind of unbelievable that the world we live in right now is happening,” Richie said before performing “We Are the World.” “It’s unbelievable that people say we can’t live together, and tonight this is the greatest family reunion I’ve ever seen before in my entire life.”

He called his evening at The Muny “one of those special nights,” though it does not reflect the current social and political climate.

“We are sitting in a time where we have to stand up as people and recognize our dignity and teach that to our children,” Richie said, telling the audience that the world needs to practice the child-rearing principles of “time (patience), understanding and example” used by his late mother, an elementary school teacher.

“We are not giving our children the example that they need to go forward as solid human beings.”

The audience sang along — with the flashlights of their cell phones aglow — as Richie performed a verse of the song he wrote with Michael Jackson that became a 1980s pop culture phenomenon.

He then sent the audience dancing out the door — even though he had to take a seat — with his “All Night Long” finale.

“Watching you dancing is a pleasure beyond compare,” Richie said earlier in the night. “Watching you out of control is a pleasure beyond compare.”