Chicago/Earth, Wind and Fire
August 4, 2015
Aaron’s Ampitheatre
Atlanta, Georgia
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Photo by Randy Patterson |
Two of the most amazing and highly talented bands to ever grace our airwaves and stages are Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire. Each band, alone, is guaranteed to wow their audiences. Together, you’ve got a night of entertainment that reaches nuclear proportions.
That is exactly what Atlanta, Georgia experienced recently at Aaron’s Ampitheatre when both bands blew away the capacity, multi-racial crowd of 19,000. And, get this: they didn’t start on time. Nope. They started early and, from the opening notes, Chicago AND EWF (yes, they were both on the stage at the same time) had the crowd on their feet and eating out of their highly talented hands.
After a couple of numbers together, Chicago turned the stage over to EWF who continued to keep the crowd on their feet and dancing the night away. Led by remaining original members Philip Bailey (with his still amazing vocals), Verdine White (still playing bass in his wildly energetic way), and Ralph Johnson (drums), the band flooded the crowd with wave after wave of nostalgia by playing their incredibly long list of hits. After the intermission, Chicago returned to the stage and did the exact same thing.
After another hour and a half of blowing the crowd away with their hits, EWF joined them on the stage as part of the encore which, in my opinion, was the best part – especially when the finished with a eye-popping performance of “25 Or 6 To 4”. Watching the joint performance of that song, alone, would have been well worth the price of admission.
What’s always amazing when seeing legacy bands like these two is the sheer talent and staying power of not only the band but their iconic hits. Ageless. Timeless. Deep. Meaningful. So, if you get a chance to see either of these bands (together or solo), do! You’ll be in for a memorable treat.
