Old-School Soul Comes Alive on Triple-Bill

“Shall we do it the old-school way?”

Earth, Wind & Fire’s lead singer, Philip Bailey, paused and asked that rhetorical question Thursday at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim before launching the most pyrotechnical vocal moment of a triple-bill in which EW&F;, the Isley Brothers and the O’Jays illuminated the virtues of old-school soul singing.

Chief among those was talent--exhibited in the skyrocketing Saturn 5 of a falsetto liftoff Bailey used to demonstrate “the old-school way” as he capped one of EW&F;’s signature smooth pop-soul ballads, “Reasons.”

The three acts--with a combined recording tenure of 105 years--aren’t orbiting in the charts as regularly as they did in the ‘60s, ‘70s or ‘80s, but this three-hour evening of music showed that their talent hasn’t seriously diminished.

The other vital old-school trait that emerged was professionalism, the ability, which eludes many a talented hip-hop or R&B; newcomer, to structure a set coherently and deliver it with generally snappy pacing and never-flagging enthusiasm for performance.

The three core members of EW&F; still on hand from the ‘70s--Bailey; bassist Verdine White, younger brother of absent leader Maurice White; and singer-percussionst Ralph Johnson--surrounded themselves with 11 players, singers and dancers who kept up a funky carnival of celebratory sound and movement.

Decked out in a canary yellow suit and matching fedora, Ronald Isley was too busy playing the dapper don of soul to achieve much early in the Isley Brothers’ set. But a now-torrid, now-floating half-hour home stretch was a delight.

The O’Jays similarly bogged down during a long medley of ballads but took wing on prime songs such as “Use Ta Be My Girl.”