Oscar-winning filmmaker and Roots member Questlove kicked off New York City’s Tribeca Festival Wednesday night with the premiere of his new documentary, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) — followed by a live performance from the film’s subjects.
After dedicating the movie to all the members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers both past and present, “and most importantly,” to late EWF founder Maurice White, Questlove said, “I desperately wanted to figure out, how can I contribute to the chaos that we’re living in right now.”
He added, “This [film] allowed me to tell a metaphysical story about how nine individuals sort of tricked us into positivity. And that’s what I want you people to take from this.”
With commentary from Stevie Wonder, Barack and Michelle Obama, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Anderson .Paak, H.E.R., Jimmy Jam and Lionel Richie, the doc tells the story of how Maurice White, the product of a traumatic childhood, manifested his goal of creating “music for a universal audience” with a visionary blend of soul, funk, R&B, Afro-futurism, jazz and pop.
Over 100 million record sales, legendary concert tours, a string of hits and six Grammys followed, but so did financial issues and interpersonal struggles between Maurice and the other bandmembers.
The film also details EWF’s impact on fellow musicians: Stevie Wonder admits he ripped off EWF’s “Shining Star” for his own song “I Wish,” Michael Jackson showed up to EWF’s tour with a “yellow legal pad” to take notes, and Prince told EWF’s manager that after he saw the group live, he “wanted to quit.”
Following the screening, the current EWF lineup, including Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and Verdine White, took the stage at New York’s Beacon Theatre with The Roots to perform “Shining Star,” “That’s the Way of the World” and, of course, “September.”
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