R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire performed at Innsbrook After Hours last night. (Photo by Emily Carter)
I wasn't around to hear Earth, Wind & Fire singing “September” when it was released in 1978. I did, however, tune in to the band’s music on Lite 98 while sitting in the back seat of my parents' car as a kid. So I had some homework to do in preparing for this review, and when last night’s concert at Innsbrook After Hours began, I thought I was ready.
After sets from Los Angeles rockers Fat Elvis and local cover band Flashback, plus a brief downpour (hey, you have to have all of the elements, right?), EWF finally took the stage. The band, which features three original members, opened with “Sing a Song,” and people crowded the aisles to catch a glimpse of the band members in their shiny pants, glittering robes and sparkling jackets. Then they went into “Shining Star,” amping up the already excited crowd. The energy was apparent onstage as well: As lead singer Philip Bailey and the other vocalists were putting on a show in the front, the percussionists and the horn section were having a party in the back.
Later, they played their cover of The Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life,” from their 1978 compilation, "The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol.1." They followed up with a few lesser-known songs, but hard-core fans sang along to every word, with a few ladies behind me filling in on the instrumentals as well. I could see there was still more to learn about EWF, and I’m looking forward to it.
The final three songs were the showstoppers everyone was anticipating: their '80s jam “Let’s Groove,” followed by the disco favorite “Boogie Wonderland” and finally, on the night of the last day in July, it was time for “September.” There was dancing, singing, screaming and jumping — and that was just from me. Yes, it's a long way from jamming out in the back seat as an 8-year-old to turning up in the front row, but as the assortment of aging originals and younger replacements on the stage proved, when Earth, Wind & Fire songs are playing, it doesn’t matter how old you are.
