Two of the most famous and successful horn-driven bands of the last half-century, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, have been entertaining audiences across North America this summer on the 2024 edition of their Heart & Soul Tour. The trek visited the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Tuesday, July 30, and both groups treated concertgoers to sets jam-packed with their respective deep catalog of hits.
The show finished with a special encore set featuring the members of both bands performing a selection of tunes together.
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Earth, Wind & Fire’s Set
Earth, Wind & Fire opened the show and got things grooving with a version of their 1975 chart-topping smash “Shining Star.” The band proceeded to deliver an inspiring 16-song set featuring many of their most beloved pop and R&B hits, as well as a few deeper cuts.
Longtime lead singer Philip Bailey Sr. was in especially fine form, showcasing his impressive falsetto on versions of the 1974 gem “Reasons” and the 1978 hit “Fantasy.” Joining Bailey on vocals were his son Philip Bailey Jr., as well as longtime singer/percussionist Ralph Johnson and B. David Whitworth.
[RELATED: Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire Announce Co-Headlining Heart and Soul 2024 Tour]
Founding Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White kept things grooving with his fluid and funky bass lines throughout the show.
Among the many other classic tunes EW&F performed were “After the Love Is Gone,” “That’s the Way of the World,” “Boogie Wonderland,” and “Let’s Groove.”
Enhancing the show was a video screen that featured a variety of cosmic animated interludes, as well as archival photos, including pics of the band’s late founder and leader Maurice White.
Although it was only late July, what better way for Earth, Wind & Fire to close out their set than a rousing version of their signature 1978 hit “September.”
Chicago’s Set
After a short break, Chicago hit the stage and played a set of songs designed to please fans of both the eclectic work of the group’s initial heyday, as well as those who enjoy the group’s hit pop-rock ballads of 1970s and ’80s.
The group kicked things off with the two-part “Dialogue” from the 1972 Chicago V album. The performance featured founding singer/keyboardist Robert Lamm sharing lead vocals with Neil Donnell, who joined the band in 2018. Next came two of Chicago’s mid-’70s ballads, “Call on Me” and the chart-topping “If You Leave Me Now,” both sung by Donnell.
The group then played “Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon” in its entirety. The seven-part suite, which is from the 1970 Chicago album (now known as Chicago II), includes the hits “Make Me Smile” and “Colour My World.” Interestingly, “Colour My World” was sung by founding Chicago trumpet player Lee Loughnane.
Chicago’s set also featured renditions of such other hits as “Old Days,” “Hard Habit to Break,” “You’re the Inspiration,” “Beginnings,” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” and “Saturday in the Park.”
The band also rocked out on a version of the soulful 1967 Spencer Davis Group tune “I’m a Man,” a cover of which appeared on Chicago’s 1969 debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. The performance was highlighted by a drum and percussion interlude.
Chicago ended their set with an upbeat, abbreviated version of their 1973 hit “Feeling Stronger Every Day.”
Joint Encore Performance
After another break, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire both returned to the stage for a thrilling finale that featured both groups performing an alternating selection of each other’s tunes.
The finale began with respective versions of the minor Earth, Wind & Fire and Chicago hits “In the Stone” and “Free.” Then it was on to Earth, Wind & Fire’s joyous 1975 hit “Sing a Song” followed by the 1970 Chicago classic “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”
Up next was a rendition of The Beatles’ “Got to Get You into My Life,” featuring Earth, Wind & Fire’s jazzy 1978 arrangement of the tune. Bringing the show to an electrifying close was a jaw-dropping performance of Chicago’s signature 1970 “25 or 6 to 4.”
More About the Heart & Soul 2024 Tour
Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire’s 2024 Heart & Soul trek is mapped out through a September 7 concert in Palm Desert, California. The next shows take place on July 31 in Camden, New Jersey, and August 2 in Bristow, Virginia.
After the trek, Chicago has a few additional gigs lined in Japan and Hawaii. In addition, Earth, Wind & Fire has a seven-date Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Theater in October.
Tickets for Chicago’s shows and Earth, Wind & Fire’s concerts are on sale now via a variety of outlets, including StubHub.
Earth, Wind & Fire’s Set List, Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, Bridgeport, CT, 7/31/2024:
“Shining Star”
“Let Your Feelings Show”
“System of Survival”
“Serpentine Fire”
“Jupiter”
“Saturday Nite”
“Kalimba Story”
“Sun Goddess”
“Devotion”
“Reasons”
“After the Love Is Gone”
“That’s the Way of the World”
“Fantasy”
“Boogie Wonderland”
“Let’s Groove”
“September”
Chicago’s Set List:
“Dialogue (Part I and Part II)”
“Call on Me”
“If You Leave Me Now”
“Make Me Smile”
“So Much to Say, So Much to Give”
“Anxiety’s Moment”
“West Virginia Fantasies”
“Colour My World”
“To Be Free”
“Now More than Ever”
“Old Days”
“Hard Habit to Break”
“You’re the Inspiration”
“Beginnings”
“I’m a Man”
“Just You ‘n’ Me”
“Hard to Say I’m Sorry”/“Get Away”
“Saturday in the Park”
“Feeling Stronger Every Day” (partial song)
Encore (Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire):
“In the Stone”
“Free”
“Sing a Song”
“Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”
“Got to Get You into My Life”
“25 or 6 to 4”
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