Review: Earth, Wind & Fire bring joyful night of funk, soul and spirituality to Rady Shell

Earth Wind Fire perform at the Rady Shell Photo by Donovan Roches Times of San Diego Despite being down one original member bassist Verdine White is temporarily sidelined for health reasons Earth Wind Fire lit up The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park with their signature blend of feel-good funk sultry-smooth R B and spiritually infused soul Torchbearers Philip Bailey Sr vocals percussion and Ralph Johnson vocals drums percussion guided the -piece ensemble through dance-friendly hits such as the pulsating opener Shining Star and soulful Serpentine Fire one of the best uses of cowbell in a song ever along with crowd-pleasers like After the Love Has Gone and s That s the Way of the World on July Early on Bailey informed the crowd that they d be playing songs that reached the top of the charts as well as specific that held a special place in people s hearts poeticism intended That proved especially true on the spiritual Devotion during which they paid tribute to band founder co-lead singer and chief songwriter Maurice White who passed away in and Kalimba Story Sing a Message to You when Bailey gently plucked his kalimba an African thumb piano Bailey s four-octave falsetto remains one of the majority of impressive instruments in music and over Earth Wind Fire s remarkable -year career it has greatly shaped the band s distinctive sound On this night he had countless opportunities to reach for the sky particularly on Brazilian Rhyme Beijo That explained Bailey wasn t unfailingly pitch perfect he faltered on specific low-register vocals such as during Got to Get You Into My Life and struggled to hit a few of the high notes on Reasons an intensely challenging song for any singer Still at least twice the -year-old unleashed such a piercing note that The Shell s choice of plastic wine cups seemed like a prudent decision Though Verdine White s magnetic stage presence and masterful bass lines were missed Ray McKinley held his own admirably his solo brimming with funky flair and blending seamlessly into an instrumental interlude that let the band stretch its chops Equally impressive B David Whitworth who isn t an original member but has been with the band since deserves an all-purpose sportsman award With joyful abandon the percussionist vocalist tossed tambourines into the air smashed cymbals behind his back took over tenor parts on Love s Holiday and drew cheers for his comedic dance moves during Boogie Wonderland Of program no discussion of this group would be complete without acknowledging the peerless Earth Wind Fire horns Gary Bias tenor sax Reggie Young trombone and Bobby Burns Jr trumpet and the band s omnipresent silky harmonies The brass trio s tight vibrant work powered songs like Jupiter and Sing a Song while background vocals from Johnson and Bailey s son among others added polish to gems like After the Love Has Gone Philip Bailey Jr also stepped up to assume lead on Serpentine Fire and Let s Groove allowing dad to concentrate on the congas and perhaps laying the foundation for Earth Wind Fire s future Maurice White founded Earth Wind Fire in drawing its name from the three elements in his astrological chart Beginning with their self-titled debut in the band circulated albums that spawned eight No singles earned nine GRAMMY Awards and sold million copies worldwide making them one of the best-selling artists of all time The were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in and received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in for their massive contribution to arts and lifestyle That legacy was abundantly clear throughout the group s hit-packed -minute set This was not one of those shows where fans leave saying Boy I sure wish they played Leaving it all on the stage Earth Wind Fire wrapped up the joyful night with a dizzying disco-dance blitz that had nearly everyone on their feet from the cosmic Fantasy and Boogie Wonderland to Let s Groove and the anthemic September It felt like being on a funk-fueled rollercoaster and no one wished to get off As the crowd caught its breath and reveled in the ride the band returned for the unlikely encore of In the Stone a lesser-known track from s I Am It may have seemed anticlimactic to selected given the explosive closer that preceded it but if you centered on the song s lyrics Deep inside your heart for you to keep Lies a spark of light that never sleeps The greatest love you ever known Love is love is written in the stone it made perfect sense Earth Wind Fire is just the band to leave you with an uplifting message of love Donovan Roche is a longtime music writer and frequent contributor to Times of San Diego Send your story ideas to droche gmail com