I went to see George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic on Tuesday night at House of Blues. I remember a couple years ago in LA, I was debating whether to blow some money on James Brown tickets or yknow, continue feeding myself for a week. Being selfish, I chose the latter, figuring I’d catch JB next year when he came through. Six months later, my family’s driving home from a holiday at my uncle’s house in Orange County, only to hear on the radio that James Brown had passed. OUCH!!! Since then, I’ve tried to make it a point of catching the legends live as soon as the opportunity arises, lest they keel over the next day from complications from prescription drugs or something. I want to see them at least once before it’s too late.
Needless to say, it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, if not certainly THE best. The adage applies: “No school like the old school.” Highlights from the bizarre ride on the pharcyde ……
- The bassist for P-Funk fronts a band called Naked Funk for the opening act. On their third song, he pulls out this utterly disgusting, hangover-in-your-mouth funky-ass bass solo. Thizz faces all around. I would’ve been a fan if he had stopped after that song.
- P-Funk comes on-stage with some hella crazy costumes. One singer’s wearing a taxi cab outfit, this other girl’s cruising on rollerskates. The bandleader’s chillin’ in nothing but a banana yellow rockstar vinyl jacket …… and a diaper. I like that old school acts still value the element of theatricality and their live shows are the better for it.
- Six guitars on-stage at once. SIX! Everytime they come together, it gets too crazy and your head’s about ready to explode and you think that they’re gonna finish the night on that note but then they just keep on rolling right into the next song.
- Speaking of theatricality, the band’s stage-hand doubles as this spaced-out narrator of the funk telling us to get ready to board the mothership and stuff like that. And this one singer’s specialty is seriously just screaming wild, incoherent nothings behind the narration, all for atmosphere.
- Some guy in a white, woolly mammoth oufit with a big-ass, fake plastic nose comes out every so often to diss the crowd. At one point, he grabs his crotch then picks his big nose with the middle finger on the same hand. My friend tells me his name is Long Nose.
- When George Clinton finally makes his way on-stage after like a half hour, he’s rockin’ like a rainbow, Troll wig or something. The way he says “Motherfucker” is dope.
- The most recent rap songs I’ve heard George Clinton on, the rappers use him to bring out this psychedelic, space-age element in the song. But I think those songs forget the other, hella raunchy, highly likable/charismatic side of him that g-funk latched onto. Hearing this geezer sing all these pervy songs like nothing is priceless.
- This set is like a mini-history lesson in black music. There are entire sections dedicated to James Brown, Tina Turner, Jimi Hendrix, and at one point, this drop-dead gorgeous singer came out and belted the blues, bringing the house to its knees like Sam Cooke or something.
- Clinton brings his teenage granddaughter on and she raps about weed and dick while her gramps trades doobies with someone in the crowd.
- Every single one of the 20+ performers drifting on and off the stage can sang. They got a special singer for every mood you can conceive.
- …… Yeah, I’m pretty sure the faded guy standing in front of me took a piss in his cup.
- Ignorant comment of the night: “Yknow, they’d really sound tight …… if they put their music on record and had a DJ cut them up. Then they’d be really live.” Win!
I wish I could say more but they’re too crazy, I couldn’t hang. Parliament alone rocked for two and a half hours straight before I called it quits at midnight. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went on until 2am and all the old folk in the audience stayed with them. It’s looking like a great season for old school concerts though. Next month, Kool Keith and Afrika Bambataa are coming to town and in March, De La’s dropping by. Can’t wait.
*Footage above isn’t from the SD show I went to but it’s close enough.
