Concert review: Earth, Wind and Fire upstages Chicago at the X

One can’t help but wonder why bands choose to share the billing with Earth, Wind and Fire, because they pretty much always blow everyone else off the stage as they did yet again Saturday night at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

About 12,000 people showed up for the third date on EWF’s latest dual-headlining tour with Chicago and just like in 2016 (and 2009), EWF handily won the night with a smooth as silk and seductively funky set stuffed with highlights.

At first glance, the two acts may seem like an odd pairing. But they’re both from Chicago and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, are currently built around three longtime members and augmented by a half dozen or more extra players, made songs that remain staples of wedding receptions and aren’t afraid to lean on the horn section when necessary.

The two bands are swapping spots each night and Saturday, Chicago took the stage first. They sounded much better than back in 2016, largely because vocalist Jason Scheff is no longer in the group. The band hired him back in 1985 after Peter Cetera flew the coop. While he ended up being the longest-tenured lead singer in the band’s history, by 2016, his voice was largely shot and it often sounded like he was singing through his nose.

Founding member and keyboardist Robert Lamm now handles most of the leads and he proved to be an ideal choice with a strong, confident voice that also harmonized beautifully with his bandmates. During “You’re the Inspiration,” he held one note long enough to earn cheers from the crowd. That said, he did sound a bit winded during the next one, the excellent “Beginnings,” but it was still impressive considering the guy has been in the band since 1967.

Lamm and fellow longtimers Lee Loughnane and James Pankow expertly led the hired hands, the longest-tenured of which is drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr., who joined the band a dozen years ago. But, as always, Chicago’s biggest weakness is the group’s notorious over-reliance on saccharine ballads. I guess it’s just a hard habit for them to break.

Led by founding member bassist Verdine White and vocalist Philip Bailey and drummer Ralph Johnson, who both joined in 1972, Earth, Wind and Fire delivered an evening of hits and deeper cuts with a timeless elegance that made hearing classics like “Shining Star” and “Fantasy” feel every bit as fresh as the day they were released.

Now 73, Bailey sounded as good, if not better, than his previous two shows with Chicago. It helps that he’s got his golden-voiced son Philip Doron Bailey in the band to help him when he needs it. At just 70 minutes, EWF’s set could have easily been longer, but it also meant there wasn’t much time wasted. And when they hit “That’s the Way of the World” and “Let’s Groove” at the end of their show, it was nearly impossible not to swoon along.

For the encore, both bands took the now-crowded stage for a fun, if sometimes overblown, set of songs that included EWF’s “Sing a Song” and Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4.”