Verdine White Tell me it aint so!! {:>(. ..

[bassramos]

Hello Fellow Talk Bassers, I just was at a gig last night and they put on the Earth Wind an Fire DVD before we played. Man Verdine sounded great! He was killing all up and down that groove! I told a couple band mates (Albeit in a funny outfit and hopping around(making it all the more impressive)) " Man, Verdine is Killin! Listen to that groove!" The next thing that came out of their mouth saddened me greatly and I was not ready. "Man he's not playing! He hasn't been doing the live show for years! There is another guy in the back playing bass." "What!!!?? No!!" I said. "That cant be true, he is heralded as a funk legend." They said " Man he hasnt been playing live for years! Theres just a guy in the back, he gets his check and that's it!"
Please tell me this is not true. I don't belive it. I'm sure that they are wrong. This is definetely not true...

[Edward G.]

I do not know anything about this, but if it IS true, I want to know the name of the guy who IS actually playing, 'cause he must be tearing it UP.

[Dr. Cheese]

If you do a search, there is a really long thread about this already. IMO, he was a great player early on but as their shows became more theatrical, EWF began to rely on prerecorded music, and most actually playing stopped.

[bucephylus]

EWF will always be heroes for me and some of my fav cover stuff. But, the rigors of the road can really take their toll on the players over the years. I recently heard Chicago live and posted a thread at how amazed I was at their ability to maintain their stuff over all these years. Something to be said for longevity. Some have it some don't. Verdine will always be a cat in my book regardless. One of the greats.

[DWBass]

Tis true and he's pretty much said as much! E,W & F is more of a theatrical entity these days. There's no way he can do all that dancing and running around and play in the pocket at the same time. Some tunes he does still play but most of the uptempo stuff, not so much. This started back in the early 90's. I have several dvd's and upon watching his hands, they didn't move much at all and didn't match the audio.

[leonche64]

Not true, not in the least.

[Smokin' Toaster]

Now this is just sad. I'm a big fan of EWF and Verdine, BUT... if I go to a concert I want to hear musicians play and singers sing. If I want theatrics I'll go to a play or broadway show. I'd pay to hear Verdine and EWF stand still and play their tunes, and enjoy the hell out of it. I'm not a particular fan of theatrics and dancing, so I probably wouldn't go to see them dance and lip synch and play what is basically "air guitar". I find that somewhat dishonest. I think an appearance of a musical artist or band implies that they are going to play music. It's like buying a bottle of tomato ketchup that's made out of sawdust or something... it ain't ketchup. If I went to see an EWF performance and they didn't play, they just danced around, then I got the bottle of sawdust ketchup... in other words I paid for something I didn't get. I would feel ripped off. Some might enjoy only dancing and theatrics entertaining and pay for it, but I won't. And I was looking forward to catching them at the casinos on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, they appear there once a year or so. I've never seen them, there was always some schedule conflict. After hearing this I probably won't. That's very, very sad.

[Hoover]

I think I've mentioned this before on TB, but fwiw in early 2000 I was working on the audio-video crew for the Rock'N'Roll Hall Of Fame Award Show at the Waldorf, and I spent a good hour grooving to EW&F's soundcheck. And Verdine was most definitely playing bass. Not just playing it, but playing the shiznit out of it! They did a long funk jam where Verdine gave a textbook lesson in Space and Variations On A Theme and Hittin' It On The One... it was azz-tastic!

Yeah, that was 11 years ago, so no idea how much he's really playing nowadays. But the dude can play.

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

If you do a search, there is a really long thread about this already. IMO, he was a great player early on but as their shows became more theatrical, EWF began to rely on prerecorded music, and most actually playing stopped.

Really??? I saw them a few years ago in Allentown, PA with Chicago and they sounded very live to me.

On a side note, Chicago absolutely blew me away that night!

[electracoyote]

I have seen video of Verdine doin' it and doin' it well live, dancin' and playin' with no technical assistance whatsoever.

I have seen video, and one Red Rocks performance in person, where I am certain he got a little help.

Y'know what? It doesn't tarnish his image in my mind one iota. He set a standard few bassists can match in terms of chops, creativity, and showmanship.

[MattyH]

All I can say is in some videos I've seen, when it's his turn to solo, the tone is completely different from the rest of the songs. Like he switched basses. Or, like someone else is playing, and his bass doesn't match the other bassists tone. And it doesn't sound that good either. There are sometimes a few bassists on stage. It's possible they're adding, and it's possible he's bass-synching. It's a shame, but hey, if he's more about the show, dancing, and the money, than the actual playing, that's his choice. Not a good choice IMO.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Eric Perry

Really??? I saw them a few years ago in Allentown, PA with Chicago and they sounded very live to me.

On a side note, Chicago absolutely blew me away that night!

That's just my opinion. I'm not expert on how EWF and Verdine do their shows. If he looked live to you, he probably was.

[DWBass]

While he may still play 'a little', he most certainly does not play on every song the entire show (unless he's mixed really low). And as mentioned above, his bass tone is totally different from the tone that consistant throughout the show. I also saw a videotaped interview where he alluded (he didn't come right out and say he wasn't playing) to the show being choreographed and sequenced. It's also a known fact that Morris Pleasure plays bass as well as keyboards. Unfortunately, the current version of VW is not the same from back in the 70's and 80's!

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

That's just my opinion. I'm not expert on how EWF and Verdine do their shows. If he looked live to you, he probably was.

I wasn't front row (wish I was!). I wasn't paying attention for anything sequenced, so I don't know. I didn't get the impression anything was prerecorded though. Very sad to hear they have gone "that" route.

[bassramos]

Man he was playing back in the day! Verdine played some stuff! I saw the stevie dvd and Nate Watts is sounding great! But he can't move like verdine and I wouldn't have it any other way!

[JimK]

In every one of these Verdine threads...I always post this link. So, in keeping with tradition-
YouTube - Earth Wind & Fire / Verdine White - Bass Solo / 1974 California Jam

Will also add that I bought an EW&F In Concert DVD (about 10 years ago...highly recommended by some yahoo at the music store)...and was totally bummed by what I saw vs. what I heard.

[bgartist]

What I saw at a concert a few years ago - super tight drummer for the live effect and everything else, including most of the vocals, was recorded.

[bassramos]

That's a shame

[Addison]

After I read this thread, I wanted to do some research for myself and I found this on YouTube... and I'll post it since nobody else has, and... well...

YouTube - Fender at NAMM 2008: Verdine White

I have no idea what the heck is going on in that video... so if somebody could help explain it to me, that'd be great.

[Peace Cee]

NNNNNNoooooooooooo!!!! You guys shut up!! stop it now!!! LALALALALALALALA! Seriously though, three gig weeks can bring a guy down. Head bobbing, pogo stick like bass performances/playing for so many years probably takes a toll. "Devotion" still rules as the epitome of a simple groove gone good.