The LA Beat

Earth, Wind & Fire (courtesy Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Earth, Wind & Fire are one of the longest running and most successful groups in R&B history, and their performance last Friday, September 13th, at the Hollywood Bowl showed that their musical powers remain elemental. Now in their fiftieth year, the band delivered two sets full of hits with the added power of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by Thomas Wilkins. Bassist and charter member Verdine White moved the crowd all night, especially on irresistible dance numbers like “Boogie Wonderland” and “Shining Star,” while vocalist/percussionists Ralph Johnson and Philip Bailey demonstrated their still prodigious vocal ranges; Bailey’s falsetto on “After the Love Has Gone” and “That’s the Way of the World” was remarkable, as was his melodic playing of the title instrument in “Kalimba Story.”

On the surface, a rhythm and blues group and a classical orchestra may seem like opposing sorts of bands. But Earth, Wind & Fire have always combined complex melodies and harmonies with their at times insistent rhythms. Just as Funkadelic proved a funk band could play rock, Wilkins showed that a symphony Orchestra can swing and even groove. He knew when to lay out and where his ensemble could add musical color, and the players kept pace all night with no matter how fast the beats got. The force of the orchestra was never more apparent than during a rousing version of “Fantasy” towards the end of the second set.
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