Earth Wind & Fire on six-gig nationalwide tour
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Earth Wind & Fire, a premier soul music outift from the 1970s, once ruled the pop charts with ballads After the Love has Gone and September.
The band is currently touring six of the country’s cities in performances that are expected to draw their now-maturing fans.
As part of their Earth Wind & Fire Experience Worldwide tour, the Los Angeles-based band played Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday, before an appearance scheduled for Jakarta on Wednesday.
The band will continue its tour in Semarang, Central Java, on Feb. 2; Yogyakarta on Feb. 4; Surabaya, East Java, on Feb. 6, before wrapping up the tour in Medan, North Sumatra, on Feb. 8.
Veronica Risariyani of tour sponsor Dji Sam Soe said in a media statement that bringing Earth Wind & Fire to the country was part of the company’s commitment to introducing jazz to a larger audience.
This is the second time Earth Wind & Fire has performed in the country.
Last year, the band performed at a sell-out gig at the first International Java Jazz Festival.
The success of that show may have inspired the band to return.
Founded by lead singer and drummer Maurice White in 1969, the band blends powerhouse funk anthems, Latin-inflected R&B grooves, shimmering pop-soul and uplifting ballads.
One of the band’s trademarks is its flawless horn harmonies, a sound rivaled only by the backing band of soul singer James Brown.
The lineup for the Indonesian shows does not consist of White and his brother Verdine White or other original musicians from the band’s heyday.
Now rechristened Earth Wind & Fire Experience, featuring Al McKay Allstars, the band will be led by McKay, a lead guitarist who was with the group from the early 1970s.
Despite the new lineup, the 14-strong band remains relatively true to its original sound: a flawless blend of American and African music with pop nuances.
Earth Wind & Fire was inducted into the Rock `n Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Shows
Feb. 1: Gran Melia Hotel, Jakarta
Feb. 2: Horison Hotel, Semarang
Feb. 4: Jogja Expo Center, Yogyakarta
Feb. 6: Shangri-La Hotel, Surabaya
Feb. 8: Grand Angkasa Hotel, Medan