George Clinton is one of those legends that refuses to hang up the gloves and give up (the funk). It is not surprising to see him announce yet another farewell tour. And I sincerely hope we keep being treated with many more tours. Because not only the 83-year-old funkmaster still knows how to throw a rager, but he also made sure that a whole new wave of P-Funk musicians are ready to keep the fire alive.
At the end of April, George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic hit the road again for the spring part of their Just For The Funk Of It tour. The Mothership landed in Anaheim, CA on April 30th and I was lucky to attend the House Of Blues show and see the collective on stage for the fourth time. The line out the door felt like a mile long, and the audience came in all shapes, age and colors, a testament to the longevity and inclusivity of George Clinton’s music and reach. As you stepped in the venue, you knew something special was cooking as a forest of mic stands were already set on stage (fourteen per my count) and the smoke machines at the back of the stage were already in action.
The venue quickly filled up and without any opening act on the bill, 8pm came fast and it was time for the party to start already. The stage immediately felt as crowded as the floor when close to twenty musicians appeared at the same time, receiving a thunder of applause from the audience. If you’ve ever seen the P-Funk live, you know that extended intros and transitions in between songs tend to blur lines to the point that one can’t tell where a song ends and when a new one starts. And a five-minute song turns easily into a ten-minute jam, giving all musicians a moment to shine. We got hit early in the setlist with “Atomic Dog” that had the whole venue chanting “Bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay”.
It would be almost impossible to list all musicians on stage, but it is interesting to note that it is a family affair. To highlight only a few family ties, George’s daughter Brandi is one of the backup singers, drummer Benzel Cowan is the son of Funkadelic’s trumpet player Bennie Cowan, Tracey Lewis-Clinton who sings on some songs is Dr. Funkenstein’s grandson. One of the many singers that night, Michael “Clip” Payne put it this way, pointing at Mr. Clinton “He’s been doing it for seventy years! This is the third Parliament generation”.
We got some recent material like “Meow Meow” or “Get Low”, but they didn’t forget the hits “Flashlight”, “One Nation Under A Groove”. George took the back seat at times (literally, a stool at the back of the stage) and acted like a conductor, giving front-stage-time to his fellow musicians. Whether it was Garett Shider a.k.a. Star Child Jr singing with his golden wings, or Traf Truth a.k.a. God’s Weapon headbanging in their leopard-print boxers. One of the highlights of the evening for me was the live rendition of “Swing Down, Sweet Chariot” which was incredible. It is also impossible not to mention the ten-minute guitar solo “Maggot Brain” that Michael Whampton delivered beautifully.
Watching the Parliament-Funkadelic tribe live should be on anyone’s bucket list. Their energy is simply unmatched. There are a few more dates throughout the US on this run, but if you miss them this time around, make sure to catch the next “farewell tour”.
PARLIAMENT – FUNKADELIC
Photos + Review by Manuel Gay | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!
