Скачать или смотреть Earth Wind & Fire Kennedy Center Honors [12.8.19]

Earth Wind & Fire is the first African-American group to be inducted into the Kennedy Center Honors. The fusion band’s original members Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and Verdine White were on hand, while EWF founder and visionary Maurice White, who died in 2016, notably was in the house in spirit.

“You can’t play any Earth Wind & Fire songs without Maurice’s DNA being on it, so he’s always here and we’re always celebrating him and his vision,” Johnson told Billboard pre-show. “People are still coming together and having fun.”

Coming together is no small feat among the Capitol Hill crowd these days. But EWF’s tribute segment, introduced by “After the Love is Gone" co-writer David Foster, had the bipartisan audience up and dancing to the band’s fantastical hits delivered by Cynthia Erivo, John Legend, the Jonas Brothers and Ne-Yo that culminated in an ensemble finale of “September.”

The 42nd Honors hosted a particularly robust number of politicians, among them Cabinet members Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Also present were more than 40 members of Congress, including the senior Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who when mentioned by Center board chair David Rubenstein got a standing ovation as big as the honorees.

EWF will mark 50 years of groove next summer, a milestone already on the minds of its members, whom White said have had “a special chemistry from day one, because we were all hand-picked by Maurice. He had a vision and he knew what he wanted, so here we are.”

The trio alluded to a possible upcoming duets album, though stopped short of sharing details about potential collaborators. “We’re making a list, and checking it twice,” said Bailey. “And you’ll hear about it soon.”

Of the group’s designation as the KCH’s first African-American band, Bailey said, “There are so many more African-American acts that are deserving and perhaps this can be the first of many more to come.”

LL Cool J, who was inducted as the Honors’ inaugural hip-hop artist in 2017 and served as emcee for this year’s event, had this to say: “You know, we’ve come a long way, but it shows you how far we have to go when we’re still talking about firsts.”

As for his own KCH first, “I’m just grateful it was me; that’s a record that can’t be broken. Impossible to break. That’s dope,” he said.

The 42nd Kennedy Center Honors aired on CBS on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 8pm. The date marks a departure from the long-running schedule that saw the event air during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/ne...