Chicago Was in Boogie Wonderland
Written By: Lyra Wilson
Do you remember the 21st night of September? Well, flip the numbers around and on the 12th of July, I got to experience Earth, Wind & Fire’s homecoming set in Chicago. It was a night I’m never going to forget.
A lot of music today, whether you’ve heard it from streaming or TikTok, is bringing back those 1970s funk/disco sounds. For me, I have always gone straight to the source. I grew up with bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago, thanks to my mom who grew up in the 70s. A lot of that same generation appeared when I first arrived at the show. Both bands Earth Wind & Fire and the aptly named group Chicago, have roots in the Windy City. For their homecoming stop, the energy of the crowd was so exciting. There were so many people in merch, 70s bell bottoms, overall groovy outfits, Hawaiian shirts, and couples excited to jam.
The show started with a bang with “Shining Star” and everyone had so much energy. There were choreographed moments that shined with the live horns, beautiful visuals on the screens of groovy effects, and incorporated videos of the band’s former leader and creator Maurice White, who passed away in 2016. It was a beautiful homage to his spirit, and he would’ve loved seeing the fans enjoying his work so many decades later.
What I loved about this show was even talking with a couple of people, some of them didn’t know a few songs, but they loved how great they sounded all these years later. Hitting those high notes, getting everyone on their feet, etc. I even noticed people working at the concession stands in the arena dancing around to "Boogie Wonderland," which was so fun to see the impact.
What intrigued me was seeing different audience members swap places depending on the band they were more interested in seeing. Some stayed for the complete show, others wanted to see one set versus the other. But next up on the ticket was the band Chicago. I’ve loved some of their top songs like “Saturday In the Park” and “25 or 6 to 4” thanks to playing a lot of Rock Band. So it was fun seeing them get there and have lighting effects to emulate the “flower power” days. In the end, both groups joined together to give one final showcase.
Even if you weren’t able to see them live, I recommend playing their albums, such as their greatest hits albums, to feel good and get on your boogie shoes.
