Favorite Live Bands #3 - Earth, Wind & Fire

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We are in rarefied air now. The top three spots in my Favorite Live Bands series are all big time names, and we are at #3: the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire. Led by vocalist/percussionist Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire formed in Chicago in 1970, and despite a three year hiatus, and White's death in 2016, are still going. The six-time Grammy winners have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and are in both the Rock and Roll and Vocal Group Halls of Fame. It wasn't just the music that made Earth, Wind & Fire special. They have always had a well deserved reputation as a boffo live act, something I, at a young age, wanted to witness for myself. Luckily, they came through Denver's old McNichols Sports Arena in support of their album Raise! (and the single "Let's Groove") in 1981. Just high school juniors, a friend and I made a snowy, winterery, 75 mile drive from Colorado Springs to Denver for the show. And oh, what a concert! A string of hits as long as your arm, performed with gusto (the band even exuded energy during the ballads,) the snazziest of snazzy outfits (Fun Fact: Jon Bon Jovi used to wear an old pair of Earth, Wind & Fire pants during his concerts, although it was never made clear whose pants they were,) and an onstage laser battle between Maurice White and a space alien-type creature made for one hell of a concert. I'd say that I got my money's worth that night. In fact, they set the bar so high that I had begun to think no one would ever top it. Keep in mind we have two more to go. (Info verified by Wikipedia)