Stevie Wonder is not taking Michael Jackson's death well
The soul legend works out his grief in front of thousands of Summerfest attendees
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Decider missed the Stevie Wonder concert last night at Summerfest, and boy, are we sorry. Not because it sounds like it was a great show, but because it was a bit of a grief-fueled trainwreck. According to a review in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wonder's concert was essentially a tribute to his late friend Michael Jackson, and the soul legend apparently had trouble keeping it together at times. At one point “Wonder slumped over at his keyboard" and "it was hard to tell what was happening," reviewer Dave Tianen writes. "Was he ill? Was he sobbing? Even the band seemed confused and unsure of what to do.” At OnMilwaukee.com, Bobby Tanzilo calls portions of the concert “downright weird,” particularly the parts with “pre-recorded Jackson hits that played through the P.A. as Wonder and the band stood listening on stage.” Yes, that definitely is weird.
Wonder’s behavior, however, illustrates something that’s been forgotten in the days since Jackson’s death: Along with all the adulation—and mocking—that’s been going on, it seems the man had actual friends who cared deeply about him. While the rest of us are trying to reconcile all the great music Jackson made with all the horribly disturbing aspects of his private life, there are people like Stevie Wonder who are grappling with the loss of a loved one. And if anyone has earned the right to lose his shit on stage, it's Stevie.
