The 46th Montreal International Jazz Festival wrapped with a ‘70s funk-soul and ‘80s dance party Sunday night, courtesy of a heavyweight double-bill at the Bell Centre. The evening opened with groove icons Earth, Wind & Fire and wrapped with the smoothest crooner with the megawatt smile, Lionel Richie. Can you say “fiesta forever?”
He had us at Hello. Richie came out swinging with one of his biggest hits. The 1983 ballad oozes cheese, and yet like so much of the singer’s repertoire of the era it has aged into the quintessence of tongue-in-cheek cool.
Richie was never afraid of being too much. His on-the-nose solo repertoire was aimed squarely at the top of the charts, and that’s where it went.
“I’m a kid who dreamed of having my music played around the world, and it happened,” he said in a pre-recorded audio segment that led off the show.
He milked his ‘80s pop star image throughout the night, cycling through a colourful assortment of leather jackets, from yellow to black to white to red.
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Lionel Richie performs as part of his Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Verdine White, left, Philip Bailey, and Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind & Fire perform during the Sing a Song All Night Long tour’s stop in Montreal on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire performs during the Sing a Song All Night Long tour’s stop in Montreal on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire performs during the Sing a Song All Night Long tour’s stop in Montreal on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Philip Bailey, left and Ralph Johnson f Earth, Wind & Fire performs during the Sing a Song All Night Long tour’s stop in Montreal on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire performs during the Sing a Song All Night Long tour’s stop in Montreal on July 5, 2026. (Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette) Evan Buhler /Montreal Gazette
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There was smoke, flames and fireworks for upbeat hits Running With the Night, Dancing On the Ceiling and show closer All Night Long. He sang along with Kenny Rogers (on video) for Lady. He even showed his roots by dusting off a few songs from his old band, The Commodores, including the irresistible funk jam Brick House and bittersweet breakup tune Easy.
In between, there were jokes about aging, including mocking the advice he received since his dizzy spell at a recent concert. At 77, Richie moved effortfully about the stage, singing and bantering, and let his energetic five-piece band and the bells and whistles of the razzle-dazzle production do the rest.
The 15,000 fans in attendance loved every nostalgic minute. And how about the tour-de-force performance by Earth, Wind & Fire that kicked off the night? The 12-piece funk ensemble is the subject of a new HBO documentary by Questlove, and deservedly so.
Verdine White, left, Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind & Fire perform as part of the Sing a Song All Night Long tour at the Bell Centre on July 5, 2026. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
Led by longtime singer Philip Bailey, the group chugged through an impressive array of hits including Shining Star, Boogie Wonderland, Fantasy, Let’s Groove and September. With its airtight rhythm section, swinging horns and tag-team crew of vocalists including Bailey’s son Philip Jr., they had the entire Bell Centre on their feet dancing, singing and cheering for more. Pure disco-funk bliss.
More of a bonus addition than an official part of the jazz fest, the concert was nonetheless a fitting way to cap off a particularly memorable edition of Montreal’s most eclectic and dynamic music event, which presented over 350 shows (two thirds of them free) over the previous 10 days.
It was the year of Angine de Poitrine. Seemingly the entire city descended on the downtown core to take in Quebec’s ridiculously hyped, polka-dot costumed dadaist rock duo, which has made headlines around the planet since going viral in February.
Angine de Poitrine performs at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on Saturday, June 27, 2026. Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette
Their free outdoor blowout on the first Saturday of the fest added to — and delivered on — the hype. But as the legions of music lovers who came out on all the other nights of the fest can attest, Angine was only a small part of the story.
Among the other revelations on the main outdoor stage were: British soul-jazz collective Kokoroko; L.A. saxophonist Kamasi Washington, fusing jazz and hip-hop with mind-altering conviction; American-born French-Haitian chanteuse Naïka, exhibiting charisma for days before a massive and diverse crowd; and Palestinian singer Saint Levant, who drew legions of adoring, flag-waving fans from his homeland for a night of celebration underscored by a message of resilience.
And what to say of Montreal wunderkind Patrick Watson, who once again made magic happen before a sea of hometown faithful, Friday night, in an emotional tribute to the city we love. He was joined by a long list of guests including local legends Martha Wainwright, La Force, Klô Pelgag and the Barr Brothers, plus a choir of FACE school grads and French singers November Ultra and Solann and the incredible trampolinist Yoann Bourgeois, who came in from Paris for the occasion. The result was simply breathtaking.
Jazz Fest
Mexican diva Lila Downs brought her powerful voice, lively band and colourfully attired dancers along for the ride as she lit up MTelus on opening night. And talk about a fiesta, wildly energetic Argentinian dance-pop pair Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso tore the roof off the place the following night, delivering hit after hit as the sellout crowd sang along to every word of every song. It was perhaps the wildest show this critic has seen at the venue in three decades of covering music.
On a smoother tip was Georgian jazz-gospel singer and festival regular Lizz Wright’s enthrallingly intimate set with pianist Kenny Banks Sr. at Théâtre Jean-Duceppe. The surprise discovery of this year’s edition was wacky South Korean pansori pop band Leenalchi, featuring multiple vocalists interacting with joyful ingenuity, for free outdoors on the Rio Tinto Stage. And a loyal crowd of longtime fans came out to see veteran British punk-folkie Billy Bragg continue to fight the good fight, Saturday at Club Soda.
Once again, the jazz festival had something for everyone, and yet it is not resting on its laurels. A sense of renewal permeated this year’s program, featuring a range of acts from the next generation of jazz. There’s simply no other show in town that draws such diverse crowds while pushing the musical envelope on so many fronts. Well done.
