NASHVILLE, TN — Two of the most successful and critically-acclaimed bands Earth, Wind & Fire and CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers announced today 2054 The Tour, which will travel across 20+ North . The tour, promoted by Live Nation, will take the multi-platinum selling groups through major U.S. cities, that includes Nashville on August 17, 2017 at Bridgestone Arena.
The 2054 The Tour will feature a special guest DJ and a specialized seating configuration toward the front of the stage where seats will have additional space between them to encourage audiences to dance the night away.
“Nile Rodgers and CHIC are legendary for their iconic style, song, sound, and groove,” said Philip Bailey, co-founder of Earth, Wind & Fire. “There was a time when we could only dream of ‘seeing’ Earth, Wind & Fire live, now we get the honor of sharing the stage together. Get your feet ready for a deluge of hits,” stated Nile Rodgers of CHIC and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Most recently, Nile Rodgers was honored with an Award for Musical Excellence from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Earth, Wind & Fire was inducted in 2000.
With multiple #1 hit singles between Earth, Wind & Fire and CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers, 2054 The Tour will feature non-stop entertainment from two of America’s most legendary musical groups.
Here, Earth-Wind-Fire co-founder and master bassist Verdine White, chats with the Tribune about their current tour and what new-found and veteran long-time fans can expect for this year’s tour:
TRIBUNE: How did you guys come up with the name for this tour (2054 The Tour)? It’s so unique. V. WHITE: “It was a group of us, Manager Damien Smith, Phillip (Bailey), came up with the idea of having this name, calling it “2054,” just to kind of speak to the future, and so far, it’s working.”
TRIBUNE: So, what can people expect when coming to the show? We know there’s going to be this body of great Earth, Wind & Fire music, of course, but what else can they expect, maybe for some of the younger millennials maybe who’ve never seen you guys perform live? V. WHITE: “Well, you’re going to hear a lot of great songs, and it’s great that you brought up the millennials. We have a lot of millennials out there, it’s a lot of them, and they’re having a great time, the generations of people that are coming to the shows, and it’s a great thing to feel and see… All of this is just a testimony to the work my late brother, Maurice (White) did. We have to give him credit. What a wonderful person, What a wonderful, fantastic guy. Without him, none of this ever would have happened.”
TRIBUNE: Are there any particular musicians or singers out here today that are inspiring you, or motivating you? V. WHITE: “Oh yeah, there’s a lot. I always loved Bruno Mars, I still love Alicia Keys, Anderson Paak, Chance, Kendrick Lamar, those are guys that, they stop me on the streets. Because art is always evolving. It’s always evolving. Music’s always evolving.”
TRIBUNE: Are there any future movie soundtracks coming up that we can look forward to? V. WHITE: “We get offers every day to do something, and then we generally pick and choose what we’re going to do.”
TRIBUNE: My last question here but the Mayweather-McGregor fiasco, who do you think’s going to take that one? V. WHITE: “I don’t know, but I do think it’s going to be very entertaining that’s for sure.” (he laughs).
