A little generational trash talk found its way into Lionel Richie’s Phoenix concert this week. While discussing the stadium tour Usher and Chris Brown are currently sharing, the 77-year-old legend joked that what the two R&B stars are doing is not quite as new as they might think. His proof was standing much closer than either man: Richie is currently touring alongside Earth, Wind & Fire.
“Usher, Chris Brown... see, they trying to do something new,” Richie told the crowd at Mortgage Matchup Center on Tuesday. He then pointed back to the years when the Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire were filling venues with their own blend of R&B showmanship. “Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire, we were doing that back 40 years ago. Only difference is, between then and now, we didn’t go to jail!” Richie said, before adding, “We’re fine Christian men.”
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The Freaky R&B Tour
Usher and Brown’s The R&B Tour has been operating on a considerably larger scale than most R&B pairings. The co-headlining run launched in June and is scheduled for 33 stadium dates across North America, with shows continuing through December. Usher has described the tour as an argument for R&B’s ability to command stadiums rather than a competition between its two headliners.
Richie has some firsthand experience with the format he was teasing. His current Sing a Song All Night Long tour with Earth, Wind & Fire reunites two veteran acts for another joint run, following their 2023 tour together. Their Phoenix stop took place August 11.
Meanwhile, Chris Brown apparently took the ribbing exactly as it sounded. Rather than firing back, he responded beneath a circulating video with laughing emojis and wrote, “Damn, unk. We love ya paw paw.” So far, Usher has not publicly answered Richie’s joke. Brown, at least, seems content to let the elder get his jokes off.
