Kool & The Gang & UB40 in Colmar

Kool & The Gang are an American band formed in Jersey City in 1964 by Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell and friends. Their music spans jazz-funk, soul, disco and R&B, and the group is known for “Jungle Boogie,” “Ladies’ Night,” “Celebration,” “Get Down on It” and “Cherish.” In 1971, the album Live at P.J.’s documented their early jazz-funk repertoire at the Hollywood club. Decades later, Kool & The Gang performed on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury in 2011, then opened selected North American dates for Van Halen on the 2012 A Different Kind of Truth Tour.

UB40 are a British reggae band formed in Birmingham in 1978. Their reggae-pop sound, rooted in dub and ska, became widely known through songs including “Food for Thought,” “Red Red Wine,” “Kingston Town” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” as well as the covers album Labour of Love. UB40 played their first concert at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath in 1979. A support tour with the Pretenders followed in 1980 and brought the group into larger British venues. They later performed at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985 and returned there for Nelson Mandela’s 70th Birthday Tribute in 1988.