Wonder Shines Brightest at R&B; ‘Stars’ Benefit Concert

The primary objective of Saturday’s “An Evening of Stars” benefit concert at the Shrine Auditorium was to raise funds for the United Negro College Fund. But the event also served as a kind of master class in polished R&B; from a lineup of veteran performers.

For the most part, the evening provided an opportunity for the audience to bask in the warm, comforting glow of nostalgia. All of the artists--the Commodores, Ashford & Simpson, Freddie Jackson, Lou Rawls, Brian McKnight and Stevie Wonder--used their mini-sets to touch on career highlights and milk the audience for an occasional sing-along. With the exception of Wonder, the artists left nothing to chance.

The Commodores opened, reveling in the kind of unctuous mock sincerity that goes over great in supper clubs and casinos. They played their biggest hits--”Brick House,” “Sweet Love,” “Night Shift”--as if they had a plane to catch.

Ashford & Simpson and Rawls also turned in somewhat mechanical, crowd-pleasing sets. The vibe turned considerably warmer, however, during Freddie Jackson’s set. One of R&B;’s most popular singers during the mid-’80s, Jackson gave a performance as crisply tailored and streamlined as his suit.

But it was show-closer Wonder who provided the evening’s most genuinely felt moments. Despite the fact that he hasn’t performed regularly in years, Wonder’s voice betrayed no signs of creakiness, and he performed spirited versions of hits such as “Superstition,” “Living for the City” and “Higher Ground” with funky fervor.

Wonder was also alone in addressing the evening’s cause at any length, and even managed to sing and solicit funds at the same time: When he requested that those with $100 in their pockets deliver it to the foot of the stage for the UNCF, he raised an announced $20,000-plus in less than three minutes.