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| Lionel Richie @ the Chase Center (Photo: Matt Pang) |
SAN FRANCISCO – Fans of different generations were able to rejoice in the name of funk and soul with a headlining concert featuring two of the biggest names, Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire. Dubbed the "Sing a Song All Night Long" tour, it felt like both artists were the headliners of the night. The Chase Center hosted this show with fans lined up outside in their funkiest outfits featuring big hats and baggy pants.
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| Earth, Wind & Fire @ the Chase Center (Photo: Matt Pang) |
Earth, Wind, and Fire kicked off the show to high heights, immediately getting everybody on their feet. With only three original members (Verdine White on bass, Philip Bailey on vocals, and Ralph Johnson on drums and percussion), the group did significantly well. Being able to reach limits without the original members can certainly be difficult, but they did not disappoint. The show kicked off with the funky bass intro to "Shining Star," and that's when the party started. The groove brought a little of the 70s into the whole building and had everybody appreciating the greatness of the classics many grew up on.
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| Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire @ the Chase Center (Photo: Matt Pang) |
Watching the group, you can tell they’ve all brought together a new synergy that allows them to perform in sync and with great chemistry. The set later transitioned to classics like "Let Your Feelings Show", "Serpentine Fire", and "Sing a Song". Verdine White often stole the show by flaunting his guitar and performing up and down the stage's catwalk jamming out with his tongue out. He performed a strong bass solo, impressing the crowd. It was a great sight to see that although the music has lived through various decades, they are performing as it came out last week!
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| Earth, Wind & Fire @ the Chase Center (Photo: Matt Pang) |
The San Francisco crowd was treated to a unique cover of The Beatles’ "Got to Get You Into My Life" as the band jammed together. Ralph Johnson performed meticulously on the keys with passion as the rest of the band followed for that song. With a small intermission, Earth, Wind, and Fire came back out strong to "Reasons" and a cover of David Foster's "After the Love Has Gone".
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| Earth, Wind & Fire @ the Chase Center (Photo: Matt Pang) |
The band then slowly introduced each other one by one, followed by the cheers of the entire arena applauding the generational greatness from new and old members. What came after was one of the strongest three-song lineups I’ve seen at a show in recent times. The introduction of "Boogie Wonderland" started with those immersive trumpets and immediately got everyone dancing. And being one of the most recognizable and influential disco songs, it certainly was not a surprise. Next came "Let’s Groove," which got everyone even more hyped. It’s hard to have a bad time with funk music; it’s simply impossible. Now that the crowd is fully devoted to the dance floor in their seats, they played “September" and coincidentally, in September! If only there were disco balls, because that’s what it felt like, with various ages in the crowd all vibing to the funky R&B of Earth, Wind, and Fire. They later closed out the show with "In the Stone".
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| Lionel Richie @ the Chase Center (Photo: Matt Pang) |
Lionel Richie came up next, and most importantly, with a strong introduction. The lights dimmed, and everyone's cell phones lit up the arena to the slow notes of "Hello". Lionel erupted onto stage in a white suit through the fog of smoke, taking it all in, looking into the crowd. Hitting every note, he took everybody to 1983 with this classic. Supported by a full band, they complemented Lionel’s voice and gave a great rendition of the many hit songs. He displayed strong stage presence by dancing and prancing across the stage with the band and even joking with one on playing at the wrong time. Lionel was also not shy about tapping into his roots by performing hits from "Commodores". After performing on the stage's catwalk, he later moved to the back of the stage on a matching white piano with an orange sunset visual illuminated behind him. The opening notes of "Easy" set everyone right. Although it wasn’t Sunday morning, it was the perfect feel-good song to hear on a Friday night. Everyone swayed and sang lyric for lyric as he delivered a strong performance acapella on the piano and without any supporting band.
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| Lionel Richie @ the Chase Center (Photo: Matt Pang) |
Lionel went through a catalog of hits from the Commodores, which included "Three Times a Lady", "Fancy Dancer", "Sweet Love", "Lady", "Just to Be Close to You", and "Zoom". Nearly half of the show was a reflection of his past, and the other half focused on the latter. He complimented the crowd by mentioning, "I haven’t seen dancing like that since 77’!”. Throughout those tracks, there were also groups of smoke machines shooting up around the stage.
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| Lionel Richie @ the Chase Center (Photo: Matt Pang) |
Towards the end of the show, Lionel was ready to bring in the funk. He performed "Brick House" with red lights projected throughout the arena and got everybody back to the dance floor. Fans were loving it and were also treated to an impressive guitar solo outro. This was followed by a solo piano performance of "Still" by the “Commodores" and later a touching performance of "Say You, Say Me". Chase Center was darkened and had Lionel in the center at the end of the catwalk, performing with lights around him. It was a moving and emotional rendition of the classic. This was followed by a touching speech by Lionel appreciating the fans and reinforcing the peaceful message of having each other's backs. The show closed out with an amazing performance of "We Are the World" and a fun encore of "All Night Long".
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