Features
Stevie Wonder Heads For Europe
The singer revealed the tour – which kicks off September 8 at The NIA in Birmingham, U.K. – during a special performance at London’s Hard Rock Café.
Other stops on the schedule include O2 Arena in London (September 11), Ahoy’ Rotterdam in The Netherlands (September 14), Stockholm Globe Arena in Sweden (September 19), Cologne Arena in Germany (September 22), DatchForum in Assago, Italy (September 26) and Palais Omnisport de Paris Bercy in France (September 28).
Tickets go on sale June 13 at LiveNationInternational.com.
Wonder, who began touring steadily again last fall after an almost 10 year break, told Pollstar he was inspired to go back out on the road by something that happened shortly after the death of his mother, the inspiration for his hit “I Just Called To Say I Love You.”
“It was last year, in the latter part of May, when my mother passed away,” Wonder said. “I was supposed to do this wedding that was on the books in Hawaii, and I was kind of undecided.
“I said, ‘Well, I’m not going to do it.’ [And then] it was kind of like the spirit of my mother came into my mind and my soul and said, ‘You know what? You need to take every single opportunity that you can to show love…and share in celebration of song for those who are experiencing something wonderful. Use this time to take that pain and turn it into love.'”
Wonder played the show in Hawaii, and came to a realization.
“You know what?,” he said. “I need to go out on the road throughout the country and just show my appreciation to the people that made it possible for me to do many things for my family and loved ones in their lifetimes. And my mother, [to] give her an opportunity and chance that she would have never had had it not been for the blessing that God gave me and I was able to share with you all.”