Stevie Wonder in Sydney

As part of the opening of The Star, Stevie came to town…

The amazingly talented Stevie Wonder kept an audience of his most devout fans waiting for about an hour during a private concert in Sydney last week. Ever the gentlemen, the singer apologised to the impatient crowd who paid around $500 a ticket to be at the event.

After taking the stage, Wonder explained “We had a few things happening before, so please forgive me.” He then told the crowd “We’re going to do things differently tonight, have some fun” and proceeded to ask the audience to sing several songs with him.

Stevie Wonder’s concert in Sydney was part of the grand reopening of The Star casino. He was joined by several other celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Adrian Grenier, from the HBO show “Entourage,” Wonder put on a worthwhile event by performing a 20-song set list with hits such as “Higher Ground,” “Superstition” and “Signed Sealed Delivered.” The singer-songwriter even put his personal spin on other star’s famous songs including Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel,” Incognito’s “Don’t You Worry About A Thing” and Nat King Cole’s “When I Fall In Love.”

Several other famous faces appeared at the concert in Sydney including Russell Crowe, Tobey Maguire and Elle Macpherson. The casino has constructed a special VIP viewing area for such celebrities with DiCaprio and Crowe being joined by Sacha Baron Cohen and Jennifer Hawkins along with her finance Jake Wall. The Star flew in over 8000 crystal champagne glasses and served four different types of French champagne during the night.

Stevie Wonder was born prematurely in 1950, which caused the performer to lose his eyesight due to detached retinas. He began playing a variety of musical instruments at a young age including bass, drums, piano and harmonica. Additionally, his vocal talents allowed him to perform in the church choir. He had his first hit at age 13 and has topped the charts in the United States over 30 times. He has won 22 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Polar Music Prize and the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award in addition to being named a Messenger of Peace from the United Nations.

Wonder agreed to play one of DiCaprio’s favourite songs during his casino performance, but afterward when the crowd inundated him for further requests, he laughingly told them to “take a chill pill.” The lifelong talent of Stevie Wonder overcame a cranky audience and left them with a night they’ll never forget