LIONEL RICHIE reunited his soul supergroup THE COMMODORES at the Essence Music Festival on Sunday night (05Jul09).
Richie played a two-hour set on the final day of the three-day New Orleans, Louisiana event, and thrilled fans by bringing his Commodores pals to the stage for renditions of Brick House and Just To Be Close to You.
The reunion has been planned for some time, with Richie announcing earlier this year (09), "Before the end of the year, for sure, you'll hear a rumble. I think now might be the proper time (to do this)." The current Commodores line-up has been billed to headline Pennsylvania's MusicFest on 31 July (09) and fans hope that show will be a reunion, featuring Richie, Ron La Pread and Thomas McClary. The trio have been working together in Los Angeles.
The Commodores weren't the only group to make a comeback at Essence - En Vogue marked their 20th anniversary with a comeback set on Sunday.
The female quartet - comprising of Dawn Robinson, Terry Ellis, Cindy Heron-Bragg and Maxine Jones - entertained the audience with their popular 1990s hits Free Your Mind, My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) and Don't Let Go.
And they used the opportunity to pay tribute to the late Michael Jackson, who died on 25 June (09).
Ellis told the crowd, "He's the reason why we stand here together. He was the most phenomenal entertainer ever."