Earth, Wind & Fire To Play For King Of Morocco Again

08/15/2000 7:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(8/15/00, 7 a.m. ET) - Earth, Wind & Fire is getting ready to take its act overseas. The group--which plays tonight (August 15) at the Chronicle Pavilion in Concord, California--wraps up its U.S. summer tour with four dates at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Afterward, they pack up and head to North Africa, where they'll play at the birthday celebration for Moroccan King Mohammed VI. King Mohammed will turn 37 on August 21, and he personally requested that Earth, Wind & Fire perform in Morocco after the band played for him at a White House state dinner back in June.

However, that's not the only stop EWF has on its schedule outside North America. There are five dates set for Japan in late September, and percussionist Ralph Johnson told LAUNCH that he, lead singer Philip Bailey, and bassist Verdine White love being a global act. "For myself, Philip, and Verdine, it's still fun," he enthused. "We thoroughly enjoy what we do onstage; we enjoy the camaraderie, we have a great band, we still enjoy it. We still enjoy the travel all over the world."

-- Bruce Simon and Chad Dougatz, New York

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