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Story and photos by Andy Argyrakis Lasting 40 years in any career is impressive, though when it comes to the music industry, that's practically a miracle. Not only have Earth, Wind & Fire survived since its late '60s upstart anchored in funk, R&B, soul and jazz fusion, but thrived to the point of shaping current tastemakers like Usher, Justin Timberlake, OutKast, Musiq Soulchild, plus rock bands like Linkin Park and Fall Out Boy (whose members have given the veterans public props). Even the group's last studio CD Illumination features guests as diverse as will.i.am, Raphael Saadiq, Big Boi, Floetry and Kelly Rowland.In order to help paint the picture of just how legendary Earth, Wind & Fire's become in soul circles and beyond, the group turned in all its career crests and even a few less familiar experimental album cuts that found the band and horn section in fiery form with front man Philip Bailey nailing all the upbeat tunes and sounding thinner but respectable during the ballads. The show started on the ultra high notes of "Boogie Wonderland," "Sing A Song" and "Shining Star," all of which provided the ultimate summertime soundtrack behind Charter One Pavilion's practically perfect Chicago skyline backdrop. Since the evening belonged exclusively to Earth, Wind & Fire (rather than a double bill with fellow Windy City natives Chicago as has been the recent trend), the troupe was able to examine its back catalogue beyond just the most obvious hits. Though "Sun Goddess" and several seemingly impromptu jam sessions weren't as immediately recognizable or infectious, they still overflowed with plenty of funk and kalimba-stacked rhythms. Given Bailey's reduced range, the slower R&B nuggets "Can't Hide Love," "After the Love Is Gone" and "Reasons" (which was packed with too many melodramatic falsettos) didn't translate quite as well as any of the above, though the fellow group members and the audience's accompaniment helped pick up some slack. However, the most participation came during the ending onslaught of "September," "Let's Groove" and "Mighty, Mighty," which had everyone dancing in the aisles and once again shedding light on Earth, Wind & Fire's cross-cultural and multi-generational appeal. In order to help paint the picture of just how legendary Earth, Wind & Fire's become in soul circles and beyond, the group turned in all its career crests and even a few less familiar experimental album cuts that found the band and horn section in fiery form with front man Philip Bailey nailing all the upbeat tunes and sounding thinner but respectable during the ballads. The show started on the ultra high notes of "Boogie Wonderland," "Sing A Song" and "Shining Star," all of which provided the ultimate summertime soundtrack behind Charter One Pavilion's practically perfect Chicago skyline backdrop. Since the evening belonged exclusively to Earth, Wind & Fire (rather than a double bill with fellow Windy City natives Chicago as has been the recent trend), the troupe was able to examine its back catalogue beyond just the most obvious hits. Though "Sun Goddess" and several seemingly impromptu jam sessions weren't as immediately recognizable or infectious, they still overflowed with plenty of funk and kalimba-stacked rhythms. Given Bailey's reduced range, the slower R&B nuggets "Can't Hide Love," "After the Love Is Gone" and "Reasons" (which was packed with too many melodramatic falsettos) didn't translate quite as well as any of the above, though the fellow group members and the audience's accompaniment helped pick up some slack. However, the most participation came during the ending onslaught of "September," "Let's Groove" and "Mighty, Mighty," which had everyone dancing in the aisles and once again shedding light on Earth, Wind & Fire's cross-cultural and multi-generational appeal. |
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