Middle Tennessee State University - Midlander Yearbook (Murfreesboro, TN)

Page 15 text:

Seals and Crofts m Although the theme for this year ' s homecoming may have been A Blast from the Past, the home- coming concert to end it all was anything but that. Seals and Crofts, along with Michael Murphy, were hosts for a three hour rock n ' roll festival that was nothing but the finest. Murphy, who attracted almost as many people as Seals and Crofts, opened the show with a hell-raising performance. His segment consisted of numbers such as his biggest hit, Wildfire, Flowing Free For- ever. Cosmic Cowboy, and a fifteen minute rendi- tion of Geronimo ' s Cadillac. The second portion of the evening ' s entertainment was somewhat different as Jim Seals and Dash Crofts gave the audience more than just a live album show. They opened their show with the popu- lar Hummingbird and moved into their big hits such as ' ' Diamond Girl and Summer Breeze. Their show was completed with a little jazz-rock in the middle and some down-home rock n ' roll at the end — with some fancy fiddlin by Seals. One of the more pleasant surprises was the intro- duction of Karen Willis, who regularly sings backup for Seals and Croft on their albums. She joined them on stage to sing Closer t o You. Yes, it was truly two class acts for the price of one, but the music made it seem more like five.

Page 17 text:

M Earth. Wind and Fire, at least according to the band members, has become more than just another black band — they ' ve become spiritual. There was plenty of that spirit evident in their Nov. 19 show at Murphy Center, which provided a packed house with a chance to see one of the fastest rising stars in the music galaxy. It ' s been more than a long time since 1973. when Earth. Wind and Fire first visited Murfreesboro. Then, the band was very lucky to attract an audience for their DA Auditorium concert. The 10,000-plus fans who januned Murphy C enter for the recent con- cert were a testimony to the band ' s meteoric rise. Followi ng an adequate warm-up by the Emotions, a female group. Earth, Wind and Fire took the stage in dramatic fashion. With fog swirling about the platform, lights giving eerie illumination to the scene, and music blaring at the audience, the panels of three tall pyramids folded down, and the concert never slowed down, as Earth, Wind and Fire quickly had the audience under their control. Standing In their chairs, jumping up and down, screaming and singing along with the more familiar songs, the audience was swept up by the dynamic power displayed by this eight man band, virtually unchanged since that first MTSU concert three years ago. The band aims to please; their music displays many moods and emotions, but all of them filled with hope and love. There are no depression-laden lyrics or funeral marches here, because the band wants to have a good time with the audience, and succeeds. Most impressive during the concert were three members of the band — Maurice White, percussion- ist and vocalist; Verdean White, bassist and guitarist Johnny Graham, all of whom displayed fine solo abil- ities. Bassist White amazed the audience with a disap- pearing act that took him from one side of the stage to the other. How did he do it? Maybe the audience only saw his spirit. Other members of the band, all of whom per- formed well, were: drummers Ralph Johnson and Fred White; keyboard player Larry Dunhill and vocalists Al McKav and Phillip Bailey. The band performed many of their hits, including That ' s the Way (Of the World). Sing a Song, Shining Star, and their finale, Get Away. As they disappeared into the mist once again aboard their metallic triangles, the band left the audi- ence to race out into the freezing night, filled with their spirit and convinced that Earth, Wind and Fire, if they ever come back to Murfreesboro. could fill a pair of Murphy Centers with the crowd. Earth, Wind and Fire