With all the pre-show publicity and the concert ticket itself promising Lionel Richie's latest UK tour to deliver 'All The Hits', the 16,000 fans who went along to the singer's two gigs at the Manchester Arena last week knew exactly what to expect and got it all and much more in spades during a thrilling, two hour performance from a genuine music legend.

With worldwide album sales well in excess of 100 million, it's fair to say that there are few bigger superstars in music than Richie and witnessing this concert, it's simple to fathom why his success has been so enduring during his extraordinary career that is now in its fifth decade and showing no signs of being on the wane.  The man IS the complete package, having the silky, soulful voice, the showmanship and, above all, a fantastic, deep catalogue of songs.

It took just the utterance from the wings of one word by Richie - 'Hello' - to send the place wild and then, as he came into full view and strutted onto the stage, Richie received a thunderous and rapturous welcome from an adoring audience who were completely 'up for it' from the off with their enthusiasm never once relenting during the entire show.  The hits came thick and fast with the opening number 'Running With The Night' followed by 'Penny Lover'  before Richie sat down at his grand piano for the first time delivering a sparkling rendition of his classic Commodores ballad 'Easy' and that, in truth, is exactly how Richie made it all seem throughout the whole evening.

And Richie himself, now in his 65th year, is still in remarkable shape, both vocally and physically. That voice is every bit as strong as it was in the 70s/80s, seemingly almost untouched by time, save for a slightly gruffer edge to it that reveals itself on certain songs. Looks wise, he makes a mockery of his real age, being leaner than many much younger artists, displaying incredible stamina and possessing very few lines around his face.  In fact, Richie looks better today than he did back in his Commodores days when he sported a huge 'out of control' afro that was de rigueur on the soul/funk scene in the 1970s. Now his close cropped modern hairstyle and his all in black attire, makes him look every inch the slick and smooth operator that he most definitely is.

And boy does the man know all the right buttons to press and when exactly to press them for maximum effect, especially with regard to the ladies in the audience who spanned three generations of mothers, daughters and granddaughters, all of whom were putty in his hands from start to finish, hanging on his every word and drooling at the every swivel of his still snake-like hips.

Richie also displays a great comedic touch and frequently had the crowd in fits of laughter with his witty and just the right side of cheesy banter and storytelling. There was his continual flirting with a very sprightly ninety year old lady dancing away right at the front of the stage, telling her at one point that "they don't make models like you anymore" and, a particularly amusing segment of the show when he joked with the audience about how they have turned to his music time and again down the years, be it in the aftermath of a relationship break-up or any other crisis,  and consoled themselves by rushing home to play his CDs, his LPs, his cassettes and even his eight-track cartridges, which led neatly into performances of the songs 'Three Times A Lady', 'Stuck On You', 'Sail On' and 'Lady(You Bring Me Up)'.

It's the true measure of an artist when you can perform for close on two hours with every song being instantly recognisable but that's how it is with Richie's current tour and the audience just lapped it all up as the singer served up songs like 'Brick House'(a bona fide Commodores classic), 'Say You, Say Me', 'Ballerina Girl', 'Angel' and 'My Destiny'. Richie further bantered with the crowd about Diana Ross's refusal to join him for the shows to duet on their famous ballad 'Endless Love' and so then proceeded to ask all 'in the house' to take on the Miss Ross vocal role which they needed little encouragement to do, "You all be Diana and.....I'll be me", he jested.

Richie picked up the tempo again, backed by his super tight, energetic band and launched into the perennial crowd favourite 'Dancing On The Ceiling', then immediately slowed things right back down again for a rendition of 'Hello' followed by a poignant performance of 'We Are The World', the 1985 USA For Africa multi-artist charity song which he co-wrote with his good friend Michael Jackson, with Richie seen to touchingly point upwards in memory to the late singer. The romp to the 'finish line', bringing the concert to a tumultuous climax, came courtesy of the only possible song that could be saved for last, the rousing and infectious 1983 monster hit, 'All Night Long'. On the evidence of these Manchester shows, the love for Richie, a truly consummate artist and showman, really does remain endless and deservedly so.