Earth, Wind & Fire will “Sing a Song” on opening night of the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival.
The legendary soul and funk band is set to open the festival at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on June 3, with a live performance after the world premiere of the HBO documentary Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial VS That’s the Weight of the World).
The documentary comes from musician and Oscar-winning filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who will perform with The Roots and Earth, Wind & Fire at the opening night event.
“It is an absolute honor to bring this project to the Tribeca Festival,” Questlove said in a statement to Urban Hollywood 411 on Tuesday, April 14.
He continued, “The past two years of deep research and creative magic surrounding Earth, Wind & Fire have been nothing short of transformative. They remain one of the most culturally significant bands in history, and this project finally illustrates exactly why their legacy is so vital.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Tribeca Fest, which was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2002 to boost economic activity in Lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
“Opening Night is always a magical moment! This year, as we celebrate 25 years of the Festival, it is especially meaningful,” said Jane Rosenthal. “Tribeca was born in the wake of 9/11 with a belief that storytellers have the power to bring communities together.”
According to the festival’s official description, the documentary “examines the band’s lasting legacy, cultural influence, and body of work, with rare access to archival materials and a focus on the vision of founder Maurice White.”
The film is produced and directed by Questlove. Additional producers include Dave Sirulnick and Samantha Grogin, KB White, and Arron Saxe. Executive producers are Jon Kamen, Cheo Hodari Coker, Karla Zambrano, Zarah Zohlman, Shawn Gee, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, and Amos Newman.
The film will make its television debut on HBO and stream on HBO Max later this year. You can find additional information on the movie and the festival at TribecaFilm.com.
Earth, Wind & Fire is known for the hit songs “Reasons” (1974), “Shining Star” (1975), “Sing a Song” (1975), “September” (1978), and “Boogie Wonderland” (1979), just name a few.
The late Maurice White founded the group in Chicago in 1969, and they broke onto the music scene in the ’70s.
Current members include Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and Verdine White, and they continue to tour.
Over the years, the group has won six Grammy Awards and been nominated 18 times, according to Grammy.com. They’ve been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Hollywood’s Rockwalk, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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