Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key of Life doesn't make for an easy live recreation. For one, there's the dense percussive and orchestral instrumentals for much of the album. For two, there's 21 songs (when you take the bonus 7" that would be released later). The pianist and R&B star was convinced that he could pull it off for his annual House Full of Toys benefit event, and he pulled out all the stops for the show on Saturday night at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.
"Truly, I wanted to do this for years," he said during the event. "But it felt like it was meant to be right now."
Wonder was joined onstage by a large number of instrumentalists-up to 20 at one time-including percussionists, multiple pianists, and a choir. Those familiar with Wonder's 1976 double-album that served as the focal point of the night understand that there's no other way to stage a live performance of its epic scope. Some of the instrumentalists featured were also with Wonder for the original recording.
Wonder was also assisted by a sizable number of celebrity guest musicians, none of whom stole the spotlight from the headliner despite their own renown. John Mayer played guitar during "All Day Sucker," India.Arie sang during "Saturn," and Esperanza Spalding contributed upright bass, of course. Jazz artists were among the night's biggest names, including pianist Chick Corea jumping in for "Contusion," and Herbie Hancock performed during "As," just as he had during the original LP. Johnny Mathis was listed as appearing, but unfortunately couldn't make the event.
The event lasted a total of three hours, including an intermission.
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