Stevie Wonder is a natural wonder — a national treasure to be protected at all costs.
Unlike other living music legends of his generation — from Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger to Elton John and Diana Ross, Wonder’s fellow Motown icon — the “Superstition” singer hasn’t toured in years. Not since his 2014-15 “Songs in the Key of Life” tour.
So when Sir Stevie announced his surprise “Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” tour last month, it became a must-attend event. That is, if you were lucky enough to be in one of the 11 cities that will get 11 rare shows on this mini tour — as New York was at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
At 74, Wonder was clearly inspired by his new single “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” — released the week after he performed at the Democratic National Convention in August — and getting a message of hope out before the presidential election.
“I wrote the song because in the air I could feel the hearts being broken by negativity, by hatred, by racism, by bulls—t,” he said when he took the stage.
Then he reminded the crowd about the higher ground that needs to be reached as the election approaches: “I want to say this to all of you about all the leaders and the future leaders … To have been given the gift of being a leader means that the Most High has given you the responsibility of living in the light of truth.”
After his opening statement rang through the arena to an audience patiently waiting for music, Wonder said “But I’m not here to preach” and then took the piano to sing “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart.”
And at the end of the song, the answer to that question was a rousing “Yeah, yeah!” from the crowd in response to Wonder. It’s hard to think of any other artist who could have hyped up hope from an audience of cynical New Yorkers like that.
But such is the magic of Stevie. And he kept concertgoers captivated from there through a dizzying display of his genius — from the “Hotter Than July” jams “As If You Read My Mind” and “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” to the next-level funk of “Higher Ground,” a song that felt just as urgent as it was 51 years ago.
Wearing his heart on his purple-suited sleeve, Wonder had the arena basking in the glow of “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” his 1973 No. 1 hit, while recapturing the youthful ebullience of his early years on “For Once in My Life” and “My Cherie Amour,” which he prefaced with stories behind the songs. In fact, he was charmingly chatty throughout the night, bantering in a loose way that made the big house feel like his living room.
And as if he needed to win us over anymore, he even wore a black cap blinged out with the Yankees logo.
There was none of the production spectacle that you might be accustomed to seeing at the Garden. But in its place were more musicians than ever usually seen on that stage — complete with percussionists, a brass section and a string orchestra.
The latter brought a sweeping grandeur to the grittiness of “Village Ghetto Land” — from Wonder’s 1976 magnum opus “Songs in the Key of Life” — as the singer stood powerfully at the mike. While his voice has held up remarkably well — still hitting his upper register and those runs — he had some rough spots here.
But all was forgiven as he went into “Living for the City” — singing the “Innervisions” epic in the town that inspired it — and then the “Songs in the Key of Life” classics “Sir Duke” and “I Wish,” which were delivered and received with pure joy.
The ‘80s cheesiness of “I Just Called to Say I Love You” — one of the few Wonder hits that hasn’t aged well — was quickly saved by the searing ’70s soul of “Superstition.”
Wonder fittingly ended the show with the two closing tracks from “Songs in the Key of Life”: “As” and “Another Star.” Beginning the latter, he sang, “For you, there might be another star/But through my eyes, the light of you is all I see.”
But for us, there will never be another star like Stevie.