Earth, Wind & Fire – Live in Japan [CD/DVD]
Eagle Rock Entertainment (8/26/08)
R&B / Soul

On the one hand, I’m certainly old enough to remember Earth, Wind & Fire.

On the other hand, I’m not old enough to appreciate them.

I’m the guy that can name only their biggest hits and recognize when one of them has been sampled. Unfortunately, I can’t emotionally connect with the group in any substantial way, as their peak intersected with my infancy.

However, I have heard that Earth, Wind & Fire are quite the live performers, so I was ecstatic when I received a copy of their Live in Japan concert DVD/CD. Ecstasy turned to morbid curiosity when I realized that the concert was from 1990—George W. Bush’s father was our president, the NBA’s Michael Jordan was a ball-hogging me-first superstar who’d never win a championship and the Wayans Bros. were a universally loved collective of comedians who helmed the most refreshing show on television.

A lot has changed since 1990.

The concert was put together to promote the group’s Heritage album, as we’re off to a way-dated start as images of the Berlin Wall-collapse and Nelson Mandela appear on the video screen. This is followed by two male dancers (complete with knockoffs of Bobby Brown’s Every Little Step double-breasted-suit-jacket-with-no-shirt look) displaying the kind of “Running Man/Roger Rabbit” hoofin’ that one would expect to see in a Bel Biv Devoe video.

These jarring jumps through the time machine of fashion and footwork take a lot of the nostalgic luster off of an otherwise entertaining evening. Lead singer Maurice White—resplendent in a sleeveless polka-dot dress shirt with tight white pants—can still go, as the group’s classic hits (”September”, “Shining Star”, “Fantasy”) still sound fresh from the studio.

White even takes a bit of a sonic risk with his instrumental solo on “Kalimba Tree”. In fact, I can’t say enough about the work of the band members—some of whom are given their own individual time to shine. The Japanese crowd isn’t the loudest you’ll ever hear, but considering their reserved reputation, EWF does a good job of getting the audience into it.

Sadly, the show comes crashing to a halt, from which it never recovers, about half-way in.

It says a lot that EWF’s drummer, Sonny Emory, is wearing a sequined cut-off tank top that fits him like a pretentious sports bra and this is not his more egregious gaffe of the evening. He also fancies himself a rapper and the results are…

OK, look… it was the ’90s. Bart Simpson was rapping… everyone was doing it, I get it. It’s just that Emory is here to spit a verse that was written and performed by MC Hammer on “For the Love of You”. I’ve got nothing against Hammer—but on an Earth, Wind & Fire album? Emory then hangs around to rap a new intro to “Reasons”, which I’m sure is some kind of sacrilege.

Rating:
(CD)
(DVD)