ionel Richie told crowds at the Montreux Jazz Festival they were there to “celebrate” as he returned to the Swiss festival for the first time in eight years.
The veteran US singer told fans “the history of Lionel Richie and the Commodores is in this building” during his show at the Auditorium Stravinski on Monday.
The 57th edition of the festival features musicians across all genres and generations, including contemporary stars Sam Smith and Wet Leg together with more seasoned acts including Seal.
Beginning with his ’80s anthem Running With The Night, Richie performed a set which explored classics from the Commodores including Three Times A Lady and Sail On.
He later performed a rendition of his 1981 Diana Ross collaboration Endless Love, praising the 79-year-old singer.
“I’ve been coming to Montreux since I was this big,” Richie told crowds, gesturing to the height of a child.
“The history of Lionel Richie and the Commodores is in this building. We are going to celebrate”.
The singer closed out his set with the classic All Night Long (All Night).
His performance on Monday follows that of Bob Dylan, who took to the stage on Saturday following a 10-year break from the festival.
Elsewhere on Monday in the Montreux Jazz Lab, Caroline Polachek treated crowds to a selection of her leftfield vocal-driven pop hits.
The Montreux Jazz Festival continues until July 15 with this year’s line-up spanning acts such as Lil Nas X, Christine and the Queens, Norah Jones and Olivia Dean.
