Lionel Richie falls ill mid-show, cuts St. Paul concert short on tour's opening night

Lionel Richie cut his performance short Thursday night after falling ill on stage during the opening stop of his latest tour with Earth, Wind and Fire at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Lionel Richie falls ill on St. Paul stage

What we know:

About an hour into the set, the 77-year-old singer said he felt dizzy and sat down while performing "Dancing on the Ceiling" telling the audience, "That's the first time in my career I've sat during 'Dancing on the Ceiling'...not good, not good."

Richie performed one more song at the piano, "Three Times a Lady," before announcing an unplanned intermission, saying ""intermission, intermission, so I don't fall over," and walked off the back of the stage. 

After some time, one of the band members returned to the stage to announce, "Lionel isn’t feeling well" and won’t be returning to the stage. Concertgoers described the band member as emotional while delivering the news. 

The concert was the opening night of Richie's 26-city tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. The tour is scheduled to run through August. 

Shows postponed

What's next:

Live Nation has announced that "under the advisement of doctors," Richie's next two shows will be postponed. 

He was set to perform on June 26 in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio on June 27. 

He is set to return to the stage on June 30 in Pittsburgh. 

Live Nation says that rescheduled dates will be announced soon. 

What we don't know:

It is not known what Richie's illness is or what caused it. 

The Source: This story uses information from concertgoers and videos taken at the Lionel Richie concert. 

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