WAR Celebrates 50 Years of ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’ With L.A. Holiday Concert

Via LaSentinel.net

“My Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Fans. They are what has kept me going for 55 years and will keep me going for another 85 years,” said Lonnie Jordan, the founding member and frontman of WAR, on what still drives him to the stage after more than five decades.

WAR, returns to Los Angeles for a major holiday-season performance at the YouTube Theater on Saturday, December 20. The concert features WAR alongside Tower of Power and Poncho Sanchez, hosted by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. The night celebrates the 50th anniversary of WAR’s landmark album “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

Formed in Long Beach in the late 1960s, WAR grew up playing clubs across Los Angeles. When reflecting on those early years, Jordan recalls vivid memories of “rehearsals in the summers and jamming with close friends and family,” along with learning on the job in nightclubs while still underage.

From “Low Rider” to “The Cisco Kid,” WAR’s catalog speaks directly to conflict, unity, and survival. When asked which of the band’s messages feels most urgent in 2025, Jordan answered, “All of it. Nothing has changed since we wrote these songs unfortunately.”

With over 50 million albums sold, 20 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum records, three Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations, a GRAMMY Hall of Fame entry, and a string of Top 10 and Top 40 hits, WAR’s sound defined the 1970s.

Their signature anthem “Why Can’t We Be Friends” emerged from a real-life moment during the band’s first tour of Japan, when they were forced to hold backstage due to a disruption in the crowd. The song, which became a Billboard Hot 100 hit, repeats its central question four times after each two-line verse, carrying what Jordan describes as a “message that applies in a much broader sense these days.”

WAR’s legacy continues to live through samples, covers, and cross-genre reinventions shared by artists and listeners across generations and musical styles.

The night’s set list with fellow performers Tower of Power and Poncho Sanchez leans into soul, funk, Latin jazz, and West Coast swagger. “Fans can expect the WAR Hit List. It will be an evening of all the songs they know.”

WAR still treats each show with high respect and as a place of connection. “I hope people feel safe, loved, happy, and part of a community when they come to our shows… At the end of the day, we’re troubadours.”