Photo by Jillian Milman
Everyone has their own definition of what a “great concert” is, but presumably a few things are universally desired:
– At least some of the material performed is familiar.
– The artist seems genuinely excited to be there.
– There is spontaneity in the performance.
In the case of Chicago’s performance alongside Earth, Wind & Fire at Nikon at Jones Beach on August 16th, all of those “great concert” prerequisites were met. Dozens of hits were performed. Even if the setlist is almost identical from night to night of the tour, the energy on-stage was a reflection of a crowd that was very excited.
Beyond this being the fourth co-headlining tour between Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, the two bands have a lot in common. As “legacy” artists, they both have more than 40 years of touring behind them. They were both early adapters — dare I say “pioneers” — of the “rock with horns” concept. They both also worked with David Foster on some of their biggest songs.
Photo by Jillian Milman
In terms of the concert itself, here was the format:
– The two bands shared the stage and played a handful of hits, as followed by a quick changeover.
– Earth, Wind & Fire played a set that ran close to an hour.
– There was a 15-20 minute intermission.
– Chicago played for over an hour.
– After a few minutes of equipment setup, the two bands played a half-dozen or so hits together.
The format of this concert was not only a work of genius, but it is something that more touring artists ought to consider doing. For the concert-going experience, it ensures that there is minimal idle time. More importantly for the fans, it pushes egos aside, not only displaying a mutual appreciation society among the performing artists, but also ensuring that there isn’t too much of any one thing.
Chicago has done something similar on other recent tours (both with and without Earth, Wind & Fire), but wouldn’t it be great to see a tour with The Doobie Brothers and Toto formatted similarly? Or Foreigner and Styx? Or…well, I’ll leave the ideal pairings up to you, since those are entirely subjective.
Format aside, among the notable occurrences of this nearly sold-out concert:
– There were more than 20 people onstage during the collaborative sets.
– There were four bass solos over the course of the evening.
– During the first joint set, Chicago bassist and vocalist Jason Scheff was using Periscope from the stage.
– Earth, Wind & Fire vocalist Philip Bailey showed during “Reasons” that his higher vocal register is still in peak form.
– Five different members of Chicago sang lead on a song.
– The drum dual between Chicago drummer Tris Imboden and percussionist Walfredo Reyes, Jr. was surprisingly lively for a concert drum solo.
– Earth, Wind & Fire’s choreography remains flawless, as does bassist Verdine White’s ability to play while dancing.
The overall highlight for me was watching the enjoyment that the two bands experienced while playing along to each other’s hits. No matter how many times Jason Scheff has had to sing show-closer “25 Or 6 To 4,” you can tell how revitalized he was when watching Verdine White play along. Meanwhile, the horn players of the two groups often danced together, which also added to the visual appeal of the evening.
So as a brief recap of the evening in Wantagh:
– Both acts still appear to be having a lot of fun, even when playing hits from more than 30 years ago.
– Everyone is still on top of their game in terms of vocals, musicianship, and energy.
– A lot of hit-driven touring artists should take note of this tour and consider adapting a similar format.
If this tour comes around again next summer, do not miss it.
-by Darren Paltrowitz
