All Night Long! (all night)

We're going to party

Karamu, fiesta, forever
Come on and sing along!
We're going to party
Karamu, fiesta, forever
Come on and sing along!

All night long! (all night)
All night long! (all night)
All night long! (all night)

Yes, you guessed it, Mr. Lionel Richie was the headliner at this years Henley Festival. The Henley Festival is 5 nights of concerts on the River Thames in Henley, the town over from us.  It's a posh black tie affair with not just the music but also eccentric roving street performers (that I don't really understand),  over the top expensive art and sculptures for sale (that I can't afford), and pop-up restaurants and bars (that I thoroughly enjoy).

This is Beth before the show.

 It was so hard to take good pictures because he didn't stop dancing on stage (except for the next shot where he is sitting but there was weird light).

The show was great.  Lionel put on an incredible performance.  I'd even say it was in the Top 3 concerts I have ever seen (the other two being Weird Al Yankovic and the Grateful Dead).   For those Lionel fans out there (you know who you are), here is what he sang:

1. Running with the Night
2. Penny Lover
3. Easy
4. You Are
5. Three Times a Lady
6. Brick House
7. Stuck on You
8. Lady (You Bring Me Up)
9. My Destiny
10. Angel
11. Dancing on the Ceiling
12. Say You, Say Me
13. Hello
14. All Night Long (All Night)

15.  For the encore, Lionel brought out the local Henley Youth Choir to accompany him sing
'We are the World.'  It reminded us fondly of Stephanie's fine rendition many years ago in Melrose.

Now, the performance artists.  This piece of art was a scuba diver in a car full of water, plankton and fish.  It actually was run by remote control and cruised around the grounds.

 A centaur (behind and to the right).

These beekeepers were also performance artists....

Each hive sounded like it was full of hundreds of bees but when you were brave enough to get closer there were just little toy bees, with some on race tracks and others singing the Bee Gees (get it?).

 Of course the Thames was packed with boats.

These ladies where there...

 ...and so was this guy.

  

 After the show there was fireworks, more live music in one of the pop-up tents and then dancing in another tent with DJ who ended the night fittingly with All Night Long.

After all the festivities Beth tempted fate by balancing perilously close to this £23,000 bronze statue. 

On Sunday we brought the boys to the festival for Family Day.

 See you next year Henley Festival.