When I first saw the lineup, I admit I thought it was a spoof. A few folks agreed. How could all these bands be assembled in one place for a one day festival? Nonetheless, this turned out to be an impressive lineup, essentially the cream of the crop from the soul, funk and RnB genres. Despite some disconcerting sound mixes, Live Nation and Redrock Entertainment delivered.
At first, Fool in Love seemed similar to the impossible lineup of Oldchella, er…Desert Trip. But the latter was only six bands and it was across three days; it was a lineup that will never be replicated: Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, The Who and Roger Waters.
Whereas each of those artists played full sets, most of the artists at Fool in Love played abbreviated sets. Hence, you could camp out all day at the Bounce Stage and see an astounding 30 [sic!] artists romp through a veritable greatest hits spree.
The names got bigger on the Bounce Stage as the day grew longer, with Kool & The Gang, War and Zapp warming the crowd for the day closer George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic.
Sadly for the LA veterans War, their sound mix was the most hobbled, leaving many fans disappointed. But earlier in the day Con Funk Shun sizzled with their multi-horn attack when they opened with “Ffun.” The Bounce Stage spun 180° thirty minutes later and Dazz Band certainly “Let it Whip” by fitting the nine pink-suited bandmembers on the small stage. One of their five vocalists pointed out the song was “their Soul Train moment.”
All four of the Fool in Love stages were arrayed across the sprawling parking lot at SoFi Stadium. Bounce and Cruisin were the stages furthest apart, making for difficult and inevitable choices during the festival.
The promoters, the artists and especially the fans were blessed with cooler temperatures than probably expected around SoFi Stadium.
The weatherman cooperated, with a steady cool breeze keeping folks generally comfortable. Kudos to the staff for passing out free bottled waters to folks.
The checkerboard pattern of the Fool and Love Stages became logical as the day got underway: although physically placed relatively close together, because the set times alternated there was a diminished chance of the dreaded sound bleed between stages. But that only worked if everyone stayed on schedule.
Ronald Isley asking the ageless question Who’s That Lady
The Isley Brothers had a mushy start, causing the band to riff until Ronald got underway. Their sound mix was not well balanced, but Ernie was nonetheless able to shred on his guitar (behind his back or with his teeth). As the only band in history to chart at least one Hot 100 hit in each of six consecutive decades (sorry Carl, we both underestimated that statistic), seeing the Isley Brothers is essentially obligatory.
Ernie Isley keeping his dentist on edge.
Gladys Knight also started late, but things were back on track later in the afternoon.
Decisions, decisions….and this is only one of four stages.
As with all festivals, one wished for the fantasy of rearranging the set times to maximize individual pleasure. Alas, attendees at Fool in Love were presented myriad painful choices:
- S.O.S. Band or O’Jays?
- Chaka Khan or Bloodstone?
- Dionne Warwick or Pointer Sisters or Mary Jane Girls?
- Nile Rogers / Chic or Al Green?
- Morris Day & The Time or Charlie Wilson?
As to the latter decision, Wilson was a good choice. He blazed through a bunch of Gap Band hits, followed by a clutch of his solo work. He surprised aficionados with his cover of Zapp’s “Doo Wa Ditty.”
After the Fire of an iffy sound mix, Chaka Khan weathered her set with aplomb.
Khan was well-received, despite some complaints from her and the audience about the sound mix. She leaned into her Rufus catalog, leading with Stevie Wonder’s “Tell Me Something Good.” Proving she can still hit the upper vocal register, she was spot on with “Through the Fire.”
Meanwhile down at Crusin stage Rev Al Green hit the stage on time, opening with “Take Me to the River” and “I Can’t Get Next to You.” His brass section was crisp and he did not phone in his vocals. Likely the day’s most successful sing along of a non-Motown song was Green’s classic “Let’s Stay Together.”
Santana delivered a solid, full set. He front-loaded his early gems, satisfying me and the rest of the grey haired cohort. His tight band included four powerful percussionists, one of whom he understandably complimented profusely: his wife Cindy Blackman Santana. Later in the set his more recent compositions dabbled with an infectious Latin rap motif. On the video screen backdrop the occasional clips of album covers and prior live performances were in counterpoint to his position on stage yesterday, he was either seated or when briefly standing he performed with his back to the crowd like his early influence Miles Davis.
Cindy was more exuberant in her seated position than husband Carlos Santana was in his.
Santana’s 1976 jewel “Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)” arrived in perfect timing with the golden hour and the sun setting behind the palm trees to the west.
More than a few folks wondered if certain solo artists would take the opportunity to join their prior bands scheduled separately (I’m looking at you Eric Burdon and Lionel Richie), but I was unable to clone myself to confirm.
Hopefully giants of the genre (Richie, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations) delivered worthy performances, but Fool in Love offered an unprecedented opportunity to check out an embarrassingly rich array of artists.
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