His crowd interaction was the best I've ever experienced. He joked with the front-row fans, responded to requests and, taking sips of champagne, toasted the crowd.

The middle of the set included a trio of songs, two from his Commodores days and one from 2004 album Encore: "Still," "Oh No" and "Stuck On You," which proved to be the most interesting part of the night. Richie broke down the meaning and background of each track, and then prompted the crowd to "find your CD, record, cassette, or 8-track" and sing along.

Of course he sang "Hello" with such a heartfelt emotional timbre that it melted the whole Pavilion's collective heartstrings, before swinging into a super-hyper version of "All Night Long" that showcased the immense talent of Richie's backup band. The song ended with a spiced up salsa/merengue version of the track, loud and bright and strong.

The encore also proved to be the same as his show in Austin. "I wrote this song with my beloved friend Michael Jackson," said Richie sorrowfully.

As the notes of "We Are the World" rang out, the crowd gasped and applauded.

Hello... there's the Lionel Richie we were looking for.

Personal Bias: I played "Brickhouse" during my time in the Mighty Falcon Marching Band at Jones High School. Been a fan of Mr. Richie ever since.

Overheard In the Crowd: "Wow baby! I haven't seen you move like that in years!"

The Crowd: Mostly Baby Boomers, with a few youngsters wearing "Hello... Is It Me You're Looking For?" T-shirts scattered around the venue.

Random Notebook Dump: Saturday, I witnessed the most despicable scene that I've ever encountered at a concert. A group of younger fans (douchebag thousand-aires, for certain) were vehemently complaining to security about a fun-loving older couple sitting in front of them, who were so moved by Lionel's performance they refused to sit down. Instead they danced the night away, much to the chagrin of the grinches behind them. After almost 30 minutes of increasing complaints, a security supervisor finally agreed to move the group up into a row closer to the stage.

Having gotten their way, the brat pack pranced in victory, flicking off the older couple and blowing raspberries in their general direction. If I had not paid $12 for my drink, I would have thrown it at them. Pricks!

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