ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — In the history of American music, few bands have lasted 40 years. Even fewer have lasted that long and continued to tour. For the thousands who packed The Wharf Amphitheater on Friday night, it was an evening to remember as Chicago and Earth, Wind, and Fire hit the stage together for two hours of soul, jazz and rock and roll.

Both bands formed in Chicago, Ill. (Chicago in 1967 and EWF in 1969). Known for tight vocals, jazz/R&B guitar licks, and versatile horn sections, the bands entertained a packed crowd Friday, wowing the screaming fans with hit after hit.

With no warm up act, both bands came out together, doing a hyped rendition of Chicago’s “Dialogue”, a controversial song from the early 70s about two groups of people with opposing views about the world.  Eventually the song comes together with the phrase “We can make it happen,” and indeed that is what the two bands did.

At one point during the opener, they broke into Chicago’s horn-heavy “Get Away.” After the grand opening of the concert, Earth, Wind and Fire grabbed the spotlight, singing hits such as “That’s The Way of the World”, “Sing a Song”, “Can’t Hide Love” and “Got to Get You Into My Life.”

Lead singer Philip Bailey brought the house down showing off his trademark falsetto range with the hit “Fantasy.” A highlight of the Earth, Wind and Fire set was when they played their arrangement of Chicago’s hit “Wishing You Were Here”.

Followed by a 10-minute intermission, Chicago hit the stage solo, opening with “Saturday In The Park.”  Then they reeled off hit after hit with the likes of “You’re The Inspiration”, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is” and “Colour My World”.

Chicago has never broken up or stopped recording or touring since their beginning. Although they have had numerous personnel changes through the years, they still have four original members including trumpet player Lee Laughnane, trombonist James Pankow, saxophonist Walther Parazaider and keyboardist/singer Robert Lamm.

Started by a group of music majors at DePaul University, the group has enjoyed 22 Gold Records, five No. 1 albums and more than 20 top 10 hits over the years.

Earth, Wind and Fire, who played at the first formal White House dinner hosted by President Barack Obama in February, was started by Maurice White, and still includes original members Verdine White (Maurice’s brother), Ralph Johnson and lead singer Bailey. Bailey is also well known as a solo artist, gospel artist, and for his single “Easy Lover” which he recorded with Phil Collins during the 1980s.

Well-known artists such as Collins, Prince, Mary J. Blige, and Wynton Marsalis have said that Earth, Wind, and Fire was a major influence in their career.

While the vocals for Chicago are not what they used to be, the horns were better than ever and both bands kept the crowd on their feet the entire evening.

On Thursday night, the bands rehearsed at The Wharf for more than six hours, putting the final touches on their 30-date summer tour, that includes stops in Atlanta, Madison Square Garden in New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Chicago and Earth, Wind, and Fire have also teamed up to raise money for food banks across the country. 

In exchange for cans of food or a donation, fans were given gift cards to download six songs from each of the band’s Web sites.