A celebrity showcase. A love-drenched homecoming. A nostalgia trip. And a chance, perhaps, to make up for a hasty performance that caused some backlash in Birmingham.

Lionel Richie, an R&B and pop superstar with deep Alabama roots, returned to his home state on Tuesday night for a concert at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC. The 7:30 p.m. show, part of Richie’s “Sing a Song All Night Long” tour with Earth, Wind & Fire, was his first full-length show here in decades and therefore a Very Special Occasion.

Thousands of fans packed into the Birmingham arena, eager to see and hear Richie perform some of his many hits. Richie, born and raised in Tuskegee, started his mega-successful career in Alabama with the Commodores, and it’s no secret that he has an enduring affection for his home state.

But the artist, 74, hasn’t appeared at a major concert here in a very long time — so long, in fact, that Richie said he can’t remember when it happened. And — sorry, Lionel! — his last performance in Birmingham, as the headliner at the closing ceremony of the 2022 World Games, was not exactly a satisfying affair.

Richie’s three-song set at Protective Stadium, which happened around 11 p.m. on July 17, 2022, came after a 45-minute lull in the action, as reported by Greg Garrison of AL.com. Fans who waited for the star on a hot summer night were not exactly thrilled by the brevity of Richie’s outdoor performance, which lasted maybe 15 minutes and featured renditions of “Dancing On the Ceiling,” “You Are” and “All Night Long.”

But if any grudges were held by audience members who witnessed the World Games snafu, they surely melted into forgiveness after witnessing Tuesday’s show. Richie was a model of sweat equity and cordial charm at the BJCC, performing for about 90 minutes with a talented five-member band.

Earth, Wind & Fire set the tone with a vibrant hourlong set, kicking off right at 7:30 p.m. As a result, the singing, dancing crowd was primed and ready for Richie, who took the stage with a flourish around 9:11 p.m.

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“This is going to be the greatest show tonight, because as far as I’m concerned, this is homecoming!” Richie said. “I feel the love, especially when I get out of the car, I knew I was in the right place, because I could travel all over the world … and I get to Birmingham, and it’s ‘Welcome home, Lye-NELL!’”

The star was joking, of course, and the capacity crowd adored it. Richie’s first name could not be more famous here, and while his own Southern twang is nonexistent, his fondness for the state came through loud and clear.

“It’s so great to be home, everybody, and I’m going to say this right now, I want you all to have the best time of your life,” Richie said, “because I’m going to have the best time of my life.”

Hyperbole, sure, but warm and welcoming words all the same. And so it went at Legacy Arena, as Richie performed about 20 songs, in full or in part, strutting across the stage or seated at a piano. The setlist included familiar favorites from his solo career, such as “Hello,” “Penny Lover,” “Say You, Say Me,” “You Are,” “Dancing on the Ceiling,” “Stuck on You,” “Running with the Night” and “All Night Long (All Night).”

Richie also placed a strong emphasis on his work with the Commodores, offering renditions of “Easy,” “Three Times a Lady,” “Still,” “Sail On,” “Just to Be Close to You,” “Brick House” and more. (Walter “Clyde” Orange of the Commodores was the original lead vocalist on “Brick House,” but never mind.) As a bonus, Richie tossed in “Endless Love” (with audience members taking Diana Ross’ part in the duet) and “We Are the World,” the inspirational anthem released as a charity single by USA for Africa.

Richie’s splashy show at the BJCC featured special effects galore, such as smoke plumes, laser lights, pyro flames, LED screens and a piano platform that lifted several feet above the stage. Richie was at the heart of it all, though, providing a magnet for the audience’s attention from start to finish.

The entire show was arranged and paced to display his mature skills to advantage, and why not? Richie remains an entertainer par excellence, and although he joked about performing in his 70s, he’s still got the goods. (”I’ve got about 14 doctors, three psychiatrists and two physical therapists backstage,” Richie said, “and after this show is over, they gonna put my ass back together again. … When you see me walk off this stage, I’m in critical condition.”)

There were times, it’s true, when the instrumentals overwhelmed Richie’s vocals, but in the show’s quieter moments — when he was seated at the piano singing “Say You, Say Me,” for instance — the star’s voice rang out clear and true. It was never in doubt that Richie was actually singing, by the way, and thank goodness for that. We expect an honest use of the microphone from this longtime singer-songwriter (who’s also an “American Idol” judge), and Richie certainly delivered on that score.

For much of his solo career, Richie has forged a reputation as an old-school balladeer, but longtime fans haven’t forgotten his early days as a funky barn-burner with the Commodores. Parents and grandparents were up and dancing throughout his set, singing the lyrics to songs they’ve known for 40 years or more.

Most of us can only imagine what it’s like to face an audience of thousands — folks who are cheering, applauding, waving and screaming — at a sold-out arena. For Richie, concert adoration is commonplace. He did his best to make the Birmingham crowd feel exceptional, though, proclaiming near the end of the show that he was reluctant to leave. Richie even joked that he was moving back to the Birmingham area.

“That was just some homecoming,” Richie said. “I would like to just sit through another 25-30 minutes and go, ‘I’m home, y’all, thank you very much.’”

Tickets for Richie’s show weren’t cheap, for the most part — some Platinum and VIP seats were priced as high as $1,150 on Ticketmaster, and lots of seats were in the $175-$420 range — but no one seemed to mind that on Tuesday. The overall vibe at the arena was extremely joyful, as Richie was embraced as a home state hero.

Now, how about a return engagement, and sooner rather than later? As far as we’re concerned, it’s the only thing that would make a very good show like this one even better.