Earth, Wind & Fire vocalist Philip Bailey performed at One Music Fest on Saturday night. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta VoiceEarth, Wind & Fire, the closing act of One Music Fest’s opening day Sprite Stage, performed some of the most famous songs in American music history Saturday night. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone over the age of 10 who doesn’t know a few stanzas from the 1978 hit “September.” She’s a year younger than me, so it’s safe to say she’s literally been listening to this song her whole life. After all, there is only one Earth, Wind and Fire.
Timeless classics like “Reasons,” “Let’s Grove,” “Fantasy,” “Boogie Wonderland,” and “Can’t Hide Love” brought thousands of fans to Earth, Wind & Fire It was part of a set. Dozens of solo acts and groups from a variety of musical genres performed in Atlanta for One Music Fest, but Earth, Wind & Fire were the only one to hang out until 9 p.m. to see and hear them. From the looks of the crowd, Atlanta will always have a home for one of the greatest bands in music history.
Earth, Wind & Fire, represented by the three surviving members of the original group. Singer Philip Bailey, bassist Vedin White, and drummer Ralph Johnson insisted on not starting the show with their most popular song, but fans in attendance sang along anyway. Songs like “Saturday Nite,” “Let Your Feelings Show,” and “Serpentine Fire” may not resonate with casual listeners who are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but true fans will appreciate those classics. I was moved and enthusiastic before it was relieved. For more popular songs.
“Boogie Wonderland” and “Let’s Groove” got the remaining thousands of attendees who weren’t already excited into action. The band moved into versions of “September” and “In the Stone” and played “You Can’t Hide Love,” “Reasons” and “That’s the Way of the World.”
Bailey was skilled with the microphone and consistently engaged with large audiences, demonstrating why he is considered one of the best male vocalists of his time.
The opening night of the Southeast’s largest music festival, now in its 15th year, saw artists such as Method Man & Redman, Ari Lennox, Nelly, Larry June and Fantasia grace stages in and around Central Park. But there is only one Earth, Wind and Fire.
Fantasia (above, black and white) wowed the crowd at One Music Fest on Saturday, October 26, 2024, hours before Earth, Wind & Fire took the stage. Photo: Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta VoiceBefore the legendary band took to the stage, former American Idol winner and R&B superstar Fantasia gave a masterclass on how to rock an hour-long set. She was more than capable of being Saturday night’s closing act if Earth, Wind and Fire weren’t the next performers.
Some singers have their fans, but Fantasia is treated with respect in Atlanta, especially by black women. There was hardly a moment during her hour-long set when the mostly female crowd didn’t sing along with every word.
Fantasia sang many of her popular hits, including “Free Yourself,” “Baby Mama,” and “Without Me,” made possible by her and Atlanta-raised backup singers. when the pair performed “When I See You.” I truly understand her power.
“I feel like singing, but there’s no lip syncing happening here. The mic is on,” she emphasized, tapping the mic.
My thought was that Fantasia’s show and the way she engaged the audience could have been the entire show, and many would have been satisfied, as a final warm-up of the night from the Sprite Stage.
Her fun and energetic performances of EU’s classic “Da Butt” and Ike & Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” were the perfect interlude between her personal hit song catalog.
