War & Ohio Players in Cary

War is an American band formed in Long Beach, California, in 1969, playing funk, soul, rock, Latin music and jazz. The group first recorded with Eric Burdon, producing “Spill the Wine,” and later became known for songs including “Low Rider,” “The Cisco Kid” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” Its major albums include The World Is a Ghetto and Why Can’t We Be Friends?. Eric Burdon and War played Ronnie Scott’s in London in September 1970, when Jimi Hendrix joined the group for a late-night jam that became his final public performance. After Burdon’s departure, the band toured under the War name and documented its concert repertoire on War Live, recorded during a 1972 engagement at the High Chaparral in Chicago.

Ohio Players are an American funk and R&B band formed in Dayton, Ohio, in 1959 as the Ohio Untouchables. They became known for the albums Skin Tight, Fire and Honey, and for songs including “Love Rollercoaster,” “Fire” and “Funky Worm.” The Ohio Untouchables worked as a backing band for the Falcons early in their career. After changing their name and recording their mid-1970s hits, Ohio Players toured as a headline funk act; later lineups continued to perform in theatres, casinos and multi-artist R&B concerts. The concert format uses a full funk ensemble of singers, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and horns. It carries forward the group sound shaped by longtime frontman and guitarist Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner.