Concert Review: Earth Wind & Fire at Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall

(Photos by Tracy May)

Amid the hurricane-season thunderstorms, Earth, Wind & Fire came to Clearwater on Tuesday, June 29, 2010. There was no opener, and by 8 p.m. the house was full in anticipation of the performance. With the exception of the Backstreet Boys concert, I’m pretty sure Ruth Eckerd Hall hosts almost the same diverse audience for nearly every show, making for some interesting people-watching. On stage, the E,W&F set-up was jammed with percussion—bongos, snares, and a full-on drum set. There were instruments all over the place!

The lights dimmed and the show began. About nine musicians took the stage, with no sign yet of the "faces" of E,W&F. Red lights, a loud instrumental introduction, and a circular opaque screen allowed Earth, Wind & Fire to take the stage as a kind of retro-psychedelic-funkadelic aura hit the crowd. Everyone was standing up and ready to take a trip back to the '70s and party!

This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2010.