Earth, Wind & Fire vocalist Philip Bailey (above) on Saturday night at One Music Fest. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta VoiceThe closing act on the Sprite stage on day one of One Music Fest, Earth, Wind & Fire, played some of the most recognizable songs in the history of American music on Saturday night. It would be hard to find a human being over the age of 10 that doesn’t know a couple of stanzas of the 1978 hit “September”. The song is one year younger than I am, so it is safe to say I have literally been hearing it for my entire life. After all, there’s only one Earth, Wind & Fire.Timeless classics such as “Reasons”, “Let’s Grove”, “Fantasy,” “Boogie Wonderland,” and “Can’t Hide Love” were a part of a set that brought thousands of fans out to see Earth, Wind & Fire. There were dozens of solo acts and groups from across a number of musical genres in Atlanta for One Music Fest, but there’s only one Earth, Wind & Fire, and by the looks of the crowd that hung around till 9 p.m. to see and hear them, there will always be a place in Atlanta for one of the greatest bands in musical history.  Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White (above) at One Music Fest on Saturday night. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta VoiceEarth, Wind & Fire, represented by the three living members of the original group; singer Philip Bailey, bassist Vedine White, and drummer Ralph Johnson, made a point of not kicking off their show with their most popular songs, but the fans in attendance sang along anyway. Songs like “Saturday Nite”, “Let Your Feelings Show,” and “Serpentine Fire” may not ring a bell to casual listeners of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, but real fans were moving and grooving to those classics before they eased into more popular tunes.“Boogie Wonderland” and “Let’s Groove” got things started the remainder of the thousands in attendance that weren’t already grooving along. The band transitioned into versions of “September” and “In the Stone” before performing “You Can’t Hide Love”, “Reasons”, and “That’s the Way of the World.” Bailey was masterful with the microphone, constantly engaging with the massive crowd while demonstrating why he was considered one of the best male vocalists of his time. On day one of the largest music festivals in the southeast, which was celebrating 15 years, acts such as Method Man & Redman, Ari Lenox, Nelly, Larry June, and Fantasia graced the stages in and around Central Park. But there’s only one Earth, Wind & Fire. Fantasia (above in black and white) rocked the crowd at One Music Fest a couple of hours before Earth, Wind & Fire took the stage on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta VoiceBefore the legendary band took the stage, former American Idol winner and R&B superstar Fantasia gave a masterclass in how to rock a one-hour set. She was more than good enough to have been the closing act on Saturday night if Earth, Wind & Fire wasn’t the ones up next.Some singers have a following, then there’s the kind of respect Fantasia has in Atlanta, particularly with Black women. There were very few moments during her hour-long set that the crowd, the majority of whom were women, didn’t sing along to every word. Fantasia sang many of her popular hits, such as “Free Yourself” , “Baby Mama,” and “Without Me,” but it was when she and her pair of Atlanta-bred backup singers performed “When I See You” that one could truly understand her power. “I feel like singing, there’s no lip syncing going on up here. The mic is on,” she said, tapping the mic for emphasis.As a warm up for the last of the night from the Sprite stage, Fantasia’s show and how she includes her audience could have been the entire show and my thought is many would have been satisfied.Her fun and energetic performances of E.U.’s classic “Da Butt” and Ike and Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” were a perfect way to bridge between her personal catalog of hits. The post Can’t Hide Love: Earth, Wind & Fire rock the stage at One Music Fest appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.