With a canon of classic songs, unbowed enthusiasm and his musical faculties still sharp, Stevie Wonder has opened his first European tour for a decade. The US star took fans at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena on a two-hour journey through almost 50 years of songs that helped shape soul and pop. A sold out crowd of 13,500 saw him play with a 10-strong band and four backing singers, including his daughter Aisha. Wonder, 58, now visits Manchester and London before other European cities. With a musical catalogue that few can match, Wonder took a couple of detours but made sure his biggest hits were in the bag. Breathless medley They ranged from 1960s Motown standards like Uptight through the groundbreaking 1970s funk of Superstition to his 1980s pop smash I Just Called To Say I Love You. Wonder's mid-'70s albums will go down as his masterpieces, and he saved their highlights until last. Superstition merged into Sir Duke, which segued into I Wish before the finale of As - a breathless medley that left the crowd on a high. But with time running out, the most anticipated songs were also the most rushed. Dressed all in black, with a growing girth and receding hair, it is now 45 years since Wonder had his first hit as The 12-Year-Old Genius, and 23 since he last reached the top of the charts. But the massive cheer that greeted Wonder at the start of the night confirmed his status as one of pop's sacred stars. For the first tune, he reached for the harmonica, coaxing intricate nuances as easily as if it were a grand piano. His other instruments - and that includes his voice - were played the same way, with sincere, soulful expression, warm passion and jazzy improvisation.