Vinyl is back. Earth, Wind & Fire are still waxing poetic.

The legendary group that helped define funk, soul, and R&B for generations is still spinning strong, and they’re bringing the groove back to Denver this weekend.

The nine-time Grammy Award-winning band will kick off their 2025 summer tour this Saturday at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. The tour opener is a special one for vocalist Philip Bailey, a Denver native and East High School graduate.

“It’s always fun to come back home,” Bailey told The Denver Gazette ahead of this weekend’s tour stop.

“I have only good memories of being born and raised in Denver. I still have family here, and I’m planning on spending more time in Denver in my senior age.”

After decades in the entertainment industry, Earth, Wind & Fire has gained a new following with younger audiences, almost by accident. Their 1978 hit “September” has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram via meme culture. At the same time, a growing interest in vinyl among millennials and Gen Z has brought the band’s catalog back into regular rotation.

“September” now has more than 2 billion Spotify streams. Bailey says vinyl’s resurgence is reintroducing the band’s catalog to new ears.

“Those sessions were magical moments,” he said. “You can hear little things, people in the control room, outtakes. It makes you feel like you’re there. And we used to get together and listen to full albums. I hope that comes back.”

The band’s genre-spanning style keeps its live show fresh, whether someone is seeing them for the first time or the 20th.

“There’s some R&B, there’s some Latin, classical, blues, jazz,” he explained. “It’s a gumbo. There’s something for everybody.”

That range is often seen in the band’s live sets, where they seamlessly move from the Latin groove of “Serpentine Fire” to the jazz of “Fantasy,” the disco of “Boogie Wonderland,” and the slow burn of “Reasons.”

Bailey noted the recent trend of younger audiences digging into deeper cuts, including B-sides and lesser-known tracks.

“It’s almost like we’re reeducating the audience,” Bailey said. “Some of them are two generations removed and still singing every word.”

At 74, Bailey is still going strong in a career that’s outlasted eras, trends, and even some of his closest collaborators. Maurice White, the spiritual architect of Earth, Wind & Fire, passed away in 2016. Saxophonist Andrew Woolfolk, a lifelong friend, also passed in 2022.

Others, like Phil Collins, with whom Bailey recorded the 1984 hit “Easy Lover,” have stepped away from performing altogether.

Even as the spotlight has dimmed for others, Bailey continues to reflect on moments shared.

“Working with Phil was fantastic,” he recalls. “He’s a wonderful gentleman, funny and talented. Hanging out with him in London for a few months was a great memory.”

Earth, Wind & Fire have long viewed their work as a “service to humanity.” Band founder Maurice White instilled that philosophy, which still guides Bailey today.

“That’s why we wrote what we wrote about,” Bailey said. “It was by design to make music that families could enjoy together.”

Bailey also continues to work in the community with the nonprofit he founded, Music Is Unity, which supports youths transitioning into adulthood from the foster care system.

“You get to invest in people’s lives and help them realize their dreams,” he said. “That means the world.”

Earth, Wind & Fire perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. Tickets are available at earthwindandfire.com. For more on Bailey’s work supporting youth aging out of foster care, visit musicisunity.org.