“Ladies and gentlemen, everybody up!” said Earth, Wind & Fire singer and percussionist Philip Bailey on stage at Chicago’s United Center. “Clap your hands, stomp your feet and celebrate,” he said. “Because that’s what we do. Everybody ready?”
Saturday’s night performance, featuring both Earth, Wind & Fire and Lionel Richie, part of their “Sing a Song All Night Long” tour (one which runs through September 15 in Los Angeles), was nothing if not a celebration, an eclectic evening of live music which drilled down on the funk and soul roots of both acts while incorporating elements of rock, pop, country and more.
Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire have combined to sell nearly 200 million records as two of the best selling acts of all time. Each has an appeal that now spans generations and both have unique ties to Chicago.
Richie attended high school south of Chicago in Joliet, Illinois, graduating from Joliet East High School in 1967, two years before Maurice White founded Earth, Wind & Fire in the Windy City, making Saturday’s United Center stop something of a homecoming for each.
“We in Chicago, y’all!” said Bailey following “Serpentine Fire” early in the Chicago set. “And y’all know how to party. And it’s Saturday night!” he said, eight of the twelve band members on stage soon dancing in time throughout a series of synchronized moves.
Earth, Wind & Fire got going with “Shining Star,” with Chicago native and co-founding bassist Verdine White offering up a funky early solo later. “We’re gonna ask Verdine to put a little body on there!” said Bailey in an understated moment.
A spirited take on The Beatles’ “Got to get You Into my Life” preceded “After the Love is Gone,” with the song’s trademark ascending vocals giving way to the soaring fury of the full Earth, Wind & Fire horn section.
Joined by his son on percussion, as well as longtime percussionist Ralph Johnson, Bailey and company were at their best during “Boogie Wonderland” and “Let’s Groove,” vintage imagery of Maurice White and the band running on screen as Earth, Wind & Fire cruised toward finish, bringing the crowd back to its feet with “September.”
“Let’s get this party started!” screamed Richie, from the front of a B stage connected to the main stage via a massive runway. “Come on!” he said, sprinting back as steam erupted from the runway in an elongated electronic section during “Running With the Night.”
Richie rose from the center of the B stage at about center court, within the crowd on the United Center floor, home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls.
Backed by a five piece group, Richie set the tone with a contemplative take on “Hello” as the audience screamed along in unison to open the show.
Hitting upon the Commodores early, he took to piano for “Easy,” working in a snippet of his own “My Love.” Standing up straight, Richie, 74, snapped his jacket taut, patted his face and bounded back down the runaway as live saxophone wailed.
“Let me just tell you something,” he said, addressing the crowd. “Earth, Wind & Fire and myself, we’ve been working on this show for the last 20 years,” said Richie. “I’m not kidding. This is the best show in our lives. So let me stop talking and do a little ‘Sail On’ here,” he continued, noting another Commodores selection.
Even more than five decades in, Richie remains an electric performer, commanding the runway with a natural ease, relentlessly entertaining throughout a 20 song set.
Jumping in place on stage, Richie took a moment as keyboards and guitar gave way to a snippet of Van Halen’s “Jump” during “Dancing on the Ceiling.”
Slowing things down next with “Three Times a Lady,” the singer kicked off a slew of Commodore Motown megahits, working in “Lady (You Bring me Up)” and “Just to be Close to You” along the way.
“I haven’t seen dancing like that since ‘78!” marveled Richie in a humorous moment. “I won’t even repeat what I just saw,” he joked, again displaying an underrated sense of humor. “My body can’t even do that!”
With five solo number ones under his belt, Richie saved some of his biggest songs for last despite the slew of hits that came before, offering up a humorous anecdote as he set the table for “Endless Love.”
“For 35 years, I’ve been trying to get Diana Ross on this very stage so we could sing ‘Endless Love,’ together,” he said last in Chicago. “Now, before you get all excited…” he mused, pausing for emphasis. “She ain’t coming,” he deadpanned, shaking his head. “But I’ve got a plan B! All of the women in the audience, you’re going to be Diana. I’m going to be me!” said Richie, kicking off an all hands sing-along. “Who needs Diana?” he asked rhetorically midway through as the crowd did the heavy lifting on his first solo chart topper.
A little pyro drove “Brick House” and “Fire” while a laser show filled United Center later. “We’ve got some more,” said Richie with a wink, introducing “Say You Say Me” as a piano rose from the stage.
Richie’s third costume change gave way to a show stopping extended take on “All Night Long,” to close the show.
But the singer offered up some well chosen words moments prior as he headed toward encore with a bit of USA For Africa’s “We Are the World” (still one of the ten best selling physical singles in the history of recorded music).
“What we’re doing in this room tonight is what I wish the world would do outside this room. It’s called the human experience,” said Richie on stage in Chicago, citing the importance of togetherness as Saturday’s performance drew to a close. “Laughter, sorrow, good times, bad times,” he said. “Life.”
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