The American flag wasn’t the only thing dancing in the wind Friday night at the Hollywood bowl. With the backing of the LA Philharmonic orchestra and conductor Thomas Wilkins the soulful and energetic group Earth, Wind, and Fire had people shaking and grooving all night long. While Earth, Wind, and Fire brought the raucous the LA Phil brought the respectful atmosphere to the evening. Two sides of a very different coin demonstrated the finer points of our annual patriotic tradition in such a beautiful way that by the time they came together audiences couldn’t help but feel enraptured. Fireworks capped off the evening performance directly overhead with such grand zeal that folks, young and old alike, shared sweet smiles. The happy buzz lingered in concertgoers for hours after as everyone filed out of the great open-air concert venue and into the streets of Hollywood. Earth, Wind, and Fire made this fourth of July a night to remember.
The show started in the soft hours of sunset with Thomas Wilkins gently walking onstage and rousing the band into action. The orchestra, with full brass, strings, woodwind, and percussion, had everyone on their feet with the traditional July fourth opener “Star Spangled Banner.” From there the band led into tight orchestral renditions of “Sing! Sing! Sing!” an old Benny Goodman classic. Wilkins broke up the songs with a gentle greeting. The crowd of red, white, and blue-dressed accepted his invitation to sing along to “America the Beautiful.” The Hollywood Bowl’s arches lit up in alternating bands of sunset oranges, purples, and blues as the band played on. Wilkins paused after the sing-a-long to reflect on the freedoms he experiences on a daily basis because of the veterans of the armed services which keyed neatly into the “Armed Forces Salute” encouraging members of each branch to stand when their branches theme song plays. A litany of folks stood for their praise, modestly shucking off any direct cheers or handshakes. They were there for the show!
What a show it was! You’d think for a band that turned fifty-five years old just last year they might take it easy. You’d be wrong. With original member Verdine White on bass and Philip Bailey Sr. on lead vocals the band gave more than enough energy that night. Percussionist Ralph Johnson drove the constant disco beat necessary for the band while Myron McKinley (the bands longtime musical director) played the keyboard and Morris O’Connor shredded onstage. Bailey Sr. carried the evening with his incredible vocal performances. At every turn he leaned into the high note often delivering awe-inducing crescendos of such pitch and length the audience would stop to gaze at the miraculous notes. In his silver-lined full suit he strutted across the stage while his band and son, Philip Bailey Jr., performed the more intricate dance sections. With a strong start in “Shining Star” the band gave it their all.
The band punched into the night air with their opener. Members danced in a coordinated groove. The brass section swung left to right as they blasted note after glorious note. Throughout the early warm up hits “Sing A Song” and “Got to Get You Into My Life” Philip Bailey Jr. strutted, sidled, and shimmied all over the stage at one point even high kicking a cymbal taller than his head to top out the show. The band carried that energy into the more electric rock-oriented part with “Serpentine Fire” and “Rock That” offering plenty of space for O’Connor to take the stage and wow the crowd with his guitar soloes. O’Connor and Serg Dimitrijevic took turns battling in front of the crowd with their guitars to incredible effect.
After multiple funky hits the band decided to slow it down for a short interlude. They played “Departure”, “Devotion”, and “After the Love Has Gone” to the crowd providing some much-needed relief from all the energetic wiggling. Couples held each other and swayed. Friends laughed and smiled to each other as the band wooed the crowd. On a night like the Fourth the crowd felt unified by the soulful outpourings. Philip Bailey Sr. crooned to the crowd “We knew love would last/ Every night, something right/Would invite us to begin the day.” The crowd left their seats at the beginning of the show and, all mixed together in the aisles, could have just as easily thrown arms around strangers and swayed together, laughing in the night.
Just when the band seemed to fade into the night the LA Phil took control and blasted a rousing Sousa March to ignite the main event: fireworks! For nine straight minutes flashes of light blasted overhead in a myriad of streaks and burns. A patchwork of fireworks flared to reveal the Statue of Liberty looking out over the shores of the Hudson, welcoming people to this bright United States of America. Stars lit up and spun to the accompaniment of the LA Phil. As the last light died on the national holiday and the band finally wound down it didn’t seem like things could get better.
What’s an Earth, Wind, and Fire show without “September”? The band returned, with the LA Phil backing them, to play their iconic hit and give the audience one last jolt of dopamine. Everyone was back up on their feet grooving and boogeying the night away. Sensing the evening’s energy the band whipped the audience into a frenzy pitching up a whole-step to revisit the song’s energetic chorus. Each time the song felt like it could end the band brought it back to life and for an extra two more minutes “September” felt like forever. Finally, the light dies. The band took a bow. The crowd basked in the smoky aftermath of their beloved fireworks show. This fourth of July the world could feel the joy and enthusiasm of being American. Together with the LA Philharmonic, and conductor Thomas Wilkins, Earth Wind and Fire brought the show to life and many a crowd-member will remember this fourth more fondly than the last for its special music.
