Concert review: Earth, Wind & Fire outshine Lionel Richie at the X

Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire — two of the biggest R&B acts of the ’70s and ’80s — kicked off a joint tour Friday at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center and thrilled the crowd of about 13,000 with an evening of hit after hit after hit.

Like Richie’s first group the Commodores, EWF were often classified as a funk band, but they’ve always been so much more, dabbling in soul, disco, rock, jazz and Latin jazz. And despite the 2016 death of band founder/leader Maurice White, the three core members — Verdine White (bass, vocals), Philip Bailey (vocals, percussion) and Ralph Johnson (vocals, percussion) — have kept the group going strong. In terms of infectious energy and sheer joy, they easily bested Richie (more on him in a bit).

With 11 musicians on stage, EWF conjured a wall of sound that gave their numerous hits true power. The group’s cover of the Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life” (which Paul McCartney wrote as an ode to both Motown and weed), “Fantasy,” “That’s the Way of the World,” “Boogie Wonderland,” “Let’s Groove” and the inevitable “September” sounded as bright, vibrant and exciting as ever.

Even EWF’s slower songs packed a punch, like “Keep Your Head to the Sky,” which they began playing on a dark stage, with members of the audience using their mobile phone flashlights to provide a sky of “stars.”

Really, the only complaint is that at a mere 75 minutes, their set felt a bit rushed. More Earth, Wind & Fire is a good thing.

As far as Richie goes, he’s clearly a talented entertainer and songwriter. In the first half of the ’80s, he was one of MTV’s biggest stars with a string of smashes that include “Truly,” “All Night Long (All Night),” “Hello,” “Stuck on You,” “Dancing on the Ceiling” and his Diana Ross duet “Endless Love.” But he took a break from music to care for his ailing father, who died in 1990. Richie has said that sent him into a deep depression that he couldn’t shake until the birth of his son Miles four years later.

Richie has never returned to that level of success, but he’s remained a favorite with audiences — oddly enough, he’s absolutely adored in the Arab world — both for his concerts and his other endeavors like serving as an “American Idol” judge.

Since 2016, Richie has played a series of Las Vegas residencies, and it’s quite clear he’s picked up some of the cheesier, old-school Sin City vibes. Much like his 2019 concert at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, Friday’s show tended to drag at times as Richie over indulged in canned stage banter between numbers. He also let the crowd cover for him when he couldn’t hit the notes, which was often.

Still, Richie comes across as an amiable guy and he made sure to play every one of those aforementioned hits along with a bunch more.

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