
DATE: Sunday, August 17, 1997               TAG: 9708170091

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Concert Review 

SOURCE: BY CANDY McCRARY, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   70 lines

TIMELESS SOUL CLASSICS A HIT WITH AUDIENCE

Some might say that the Sinbad Soul Music Festival at the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater Friday night celebrated '70s and '80s music. They'd be partly right.

True, the songs performed by Teena Marie, Larry Graham and Graham Central Station and Earth, Wind & Fire were chart-toppers a few decades ago. But that doesn't make them old.

Instead, the songs are timeless. Concert-goers reacted to them as if they were still on the charts.

Thousands of fans, varying in race and age, worked themselves into heated frenzies, and it wasn't because of the humid weather. The music made them get down, groove and - yes, boogie.

Although Marie and Graham both rocked the house, it was Earth, Wind & Fire who really got the crowd hyped. The award-winning band wasted no time in throwing down on disco hit ``Boogie Wonderland,'' led in vocals by Philip Bailey.

The group lost some momentum with the unfamiliar song ``Revolution,'' featured on its new CD, ``In the Name of Love,'' but it got back on track with ``September.'' However, the popular song lacked some of its spark due to the smothered horns.

Part of what makes EWF so great is its artful use of horns, but Friday night the brass section included only one trumpet, one trombone and one tenor saxophone. All three were drowned out by the four different sets of percussion. Thankfully, the drum corps was cut down to one halfway through the set.

There was no way ``The Elements'' could perform all the fans' favorites, but the ones they did sing were right on the mark. You couldn't tell if the guitar solo on ``That's the Way of the World'' varied from the recorded version, so on-target was the guitarist's performance.

``Can't Hide Love'' and ``Shining Star'' were crowd-pleasers, while ``Let's Groove'' did exactly that.

But it was the band's most-loved song, the ballad ``Reasons,'' that made women scream and men sing along. Bailey sang it in a falsetto only he can reach, and his unbelievable vocal range was the highlight of the night.

Between sets, host Sinbad kept the crowd pumped by playing classic records by James Brown, The Emotions and others. Unfortunately, the comedian didn't tell many jokes.

Opening act Teena Marie clipped along at a fast pace, moving effortlessly from hits like ``I Need Your Lovin','' ``Fire and Desire'' and ``Square Biz.'' The only negative was the too-tight halter top and shorts outfit she wore. Its poor fit was distracting.

Larry Graham and Graham Central Station entered the amphitheater parade-style through the crowd, backed by a percussion section jamming a funky cadence. But the first few minutes of Graham's performance didn't live up to his grand entrance. Only when he sang his hit ``One in a Million'' did he hook the crowd.

For some fans, the concert brought back thoughts of the good old days. You can bet Friday night will be stored in the memory bank, too. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

GARY C. KNAPP

Members of Earth, Wind & Fire opened up their show Friday night at

the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater by playing a huge set of drums

suspended by cables. As part of the Sinbad Soul Music Festival, EWF

shared the bill with Teena Marie and Larry Graham and Graham Central

Station and treated the audience to favorite soul classics, such as

``Boogie Wonderland,'' ``Let's Groove'' and ``Reasons.''

CONCERT REVIEW

Sinbad Soul Music Festival, Friday night at the Virginia Beach

Amphitheater