Glad I Saw 'Em #6 - Maurice White

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Glad I Saw 'Em. It's a musical series about musicians that I was lucky enough to see in concert, because they are now deceased and obviously, I ain't gonna see them again. We are at #6, and our second Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in a row: Maurice White (1941-2016.) Maurice White was the founder, percussionist, co-lead vocalist, and defacto leader of the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire. And while vocalist Philip Bailey might have garnered more attention thanks to his thrilling falsetto, Maurice sang plenty of the band's hits himself. I grew up in a small, diverse military town in Nevada. Because we were so racially mixed, I was exposed to a hell of a lot of different music. And Earth, Wind & Fire became a favorite of mine before I had reached my teens. In the 1970's, the band had a well deserved reputation as one of the best live acts going. In 1980, we moved to Colorado, and finally, in 1981, Earth, Wind & Fire announced a Denver show, in February, if I remember correctly. A buddy and I made the drive up from Colorado Springs. They totally lived up to their live reputation. The concert was sooooo good that I rank it third on my "best concerts" list. Hit after hit after hit after hit. Superb musicianship. And to top it off, as part of the stage show, Maurice White fought a laser battle against a menacing alien space creature, which was quite mind blowing to my 17 year old self (I'll give you a hint: Maurice won.) (Bonus: the link that I've provided below is a performance from the actual tour that I saw, although I don't believe that it was filmed in Denver. The song is "Let's Groove," which the band played immediately after Maurice dispatched the space monster.) Earth, Wind & Fire is still at it, and still touring. I'm not saying that I wouldn't go see them again, but Maurice White was such an integral part of the band that I just don't know. It just wouldn't be the same. R.I.P. Maurice. Thanks for the music, as well as the groovy concert experience. (Info verified by Wikipedia)