Does Lionel Richie have beef with Chris Brown and Usher? It sure seems like it after he threw jabs at them during his joint concert with Earth, Wind & Fire.
Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire are at the tail end of their tour with just one remaining show in Austin, TX. However, Brown and Usher still have dates available until the end of this year.
Both tours have had highlighting moments that sparked widespread discussions online.
For instance, Usher was turned down by a fan who preferred to be serenaded by Brown. And both Richie and a member of Earth, Wind, & Fire have had to cancel dates due to medical crises affecting the performers.
Now all four of the acts’ names have been mentioned together after Richie randomly called out Usher and Brown mid-performance at his Aug. 11 Phoenix show. The “All Night Long” singer insinuated that the two men’s performances weren’t pioneering.
Lionel Richie Tour Hit with Sudden Crisis After Earth, Wind & Fire Member Rushed to the Hospital
“And Usher and Chris Brown, see they trying to do something new,” he said to the crowd with one hand on his hip.
“The Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire, we were doing that back 40 years ago,” the 77-year-old said.
As a final dig, he said, “The only difference is between them and us, we didn’t go to jail.”
It was a reference to Brown’s troubled history with the law, which started in 2009 when he was charged with felony assault following a domestic violence altercation with his then-girlfriend Rihanna.
Since then he’s stacked up several other assault allegations and civil lawsuits.
Usher, in 2017, was accused of sexual battery and fraud after a woman claimed he exposed her to the herpes virus. But other than that, he’s had a clean record and has no documented history of going to jail.
Richie quickly had a change of heart when the audience laughed.
He raised his hand and said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. We’re fine Christian men.”
Fans shared mixed reviews in the comments.
One person said, “A huge difference is you could bring your kids to their concerts. Today’s concerts are x-rated.”
That was in reference to Usher and Brown’s risqué parts of the show such as their serenading segments.
Another person wrote, “He was just joking lol. Lighten up in these comments. Its not that serious.”
Others pushed back and wrote, “Now hold it paw paw Lionel . 😂😂😂 sing yo song sets and get to stepping.”
Even Chris Brown responded under an Instagram page that reposted the moment.
“D-mn unk. We love ya paw paw,” he said with several laughing face emojis.
It’s not clear if Usher has caught wind of the comments or if he’s simply choosing not to respond.
Richie has yet to respond to Brown.
However, he did share an update with fans about the San Francisco show that was cancelled after Earth, Wind, & Fire drummer, John Paris, suffered a what is thought to have been a cardiac problem just minutes before the show.
On his IG story, he posted, “My San Francisco show has been rescheduled for September 26.”
He also revealed that the current ticket holders will be emailed about details.
Earlier this summer, Richie had to postpone two shows in Chicago, Illinois and Columbus, Ohio as well after feeling dizzy onstage at the very first show. He tried to make it through his segment, but instead he cut the concert short. He has yet to reschedule those dates.
