Stevie Wonder in Docklands

In February 1966 the 15-year-old Little Stevie Wonder astounded a packed crowd of 200 or so kids at the Dungeon Club in Nottingham, a gig which retains its place in local legend. Many of my friends were there, although I wasn’t. Probably I was working an evening shift on the local paper. But when I was told about it afterwards, I promised myself never to miss him whenever the opportunity arose. Luckily for me, there have been several such occasions, including a fabulous mini-concert at a theatre in Cannes during a music business festival in 1974, a storming show with greater resources at Earl’s Court a decade later and a little semi-impromptu solo performance at Abbey Road Studios, whose nature and date I forget. Last night, in front of 20,000 people at the O2, he celebrated the 50th anniversary of Songs in the Key of Life by running through the entire album, including bonus tracks omitted from the original release. I detest the O2. As a venue for music, it has all the intimacy and…

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