"Lionel Richie walks into the hotel meeting room at 6.20pm and stretches his arms out wide. Good morning, everybody, he says in a southern drawl as smooth as whipped cream. He's not joking. Richie, 76, is touring here in Budapest, and he's on rock'n'roll (well, legendary soul balladeer) time. The singer-songwriter, who has sold more than 100m records over his six decades in the business, has just got up."
"Everyone prepared three days earlier to come to the concert in Manchester. They went to the pub on the first day, then on the second day they went to the pub, and on the third day they said, Now we're going to the concert.' At one point I thought, they don't know it's me on stage. I mean they're having their party."
Lionel Richie arrives at a hotel meeting room at 6.20pm, stretching his arms and greeting everyone with a smooth southern drawl. At 76 he is touring in Budapest and keeps rock'n'roll (legendary soul balladeer) time. He introduces his girlfriend, Lisa Parigi, a Swiss entrepreneur in her mid-30s. Richie appears fit, tall, and carries a near-military bearing. He is famous for his bonhomie, inviting people in and making them feel personally hosted. He shares vivid Manchester concert stories of fans treating shows as multi-day parties and surprising him onstage. He recalls that failure was not an option growing up and cites collaborations and advice from music legends and figures such as Marvin, Stevie, Quincy, Michael, Sammy Davis Jr, and Nelson Mandela.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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