Throughout the 1970s, the midwest would prove to be a hotbed for great funk music, with the state of Ohio alone delivering artists like Catfish and Bootsy Collins, the Dazz Band, Zapp and The Ohio Players.
Emerging from Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire would go on to become one of the best selling acts ever, moving nearly 100 million records globally.
Following a stint at Motown in Detroit, George Clinton would found both Parliament and Funkadelic in New Jersey in 1968, working alongside artists like Sly and the Family Stone to push the boundaries of a genre largely pioneered by the legendary James Brown.
Returning to Chicago earlier this month, Clinton and company recently wrapped up their “Just For the Funk of It” tour following appearances in Detroit, Michigan and Northfield, Ohio, a run set to resume April 28 in Ventura, California.
Today, the P-Funk Collective features artists like Ohio-born guitarist Mike Hampton, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who’s injected a Hendrix-like element since joining up with Funkadelic in 1974, as well as bassist Lige Curry, a Flint, Michigan native who came aboard in 1978.
Trumpeter Bennie Cowan has been in the fold for more than 40 years, as has saxophone player Greg Thomas, with both continuing to supply Parliament’s soulful backbone as members of the P-Funk Horns.
“Before we get started tonight, y’all feelin’ alright out there?” asked Detroit denizen Michael “Clip” Payne rhetorically in his guise as the evening’s narrator on stage at Chicago’s House of Blues. “Maybe some of you should know where your focal point is tonight. This guy has been doin’ it for over 65 years,” he continued, pointing to his right at Clinton, 83. “Dr. Funkenstein, Mr. Wiggles, Maggot Overlord, Uncle Jam,” said Payne, running down a lengthy list of nicknames for Clinton, with whom he’s worked since 1977. “For us, it’s simply granddad, uncle or cousin. My big brother. Everybody give it up for George Clinton!”
Gone are the rainbow dreads of yore with Clinton taking the stage in Chicago clad in a colorful robe and a t-shirt bearing an image of the iconic P-Funk mothership following an enthralling opening performance by the Windy City’s own Tamarie T. & Thee Elektra Kumpany.
Delivering cuts like “Powaful” and “Tuhnyte” back-to-back, Thee Elektra Kumpany numbered circa 15 as the southside Chicagoans put a contemporary spin upon the genre while pioneering their own brand of “exotik funk” on stage at House of Blues.
A Roger Troutman-like manipulation of vocals was set occasionally over scorching dual guitar work, with elements of interpretive dance and spoken word shining over the course of an energetic, soulful 45 minute set of funk music that proved to be the perfect introduction for the Chicago return of Parliament-Funkadelic.
Trumpet rang out as George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, began with the latter, tearing into Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep” from 1979’s Uncle Jam Wants You album.
Keys rang out late as bass pulsed, with the band stretching out on the opener. “I want everybody in the building to put their hands together!” implored singer and guitarist Traf Truth/god’s weapon.
As Payne hinted at at the top of the show, today the P-Funk Collective doubles as a family affair, with artists like Traf Truth, Clinton’s grandchild, leading the charge. Cowan’s son Benzel handles drums while Garrett Shider, son of legendary P-Funk guitarist Garry “Diaper Man” Shider, handles an axe of his own.
“Are you ready to party? Are you ready to jam?” asked Thomas, supplying a scat-like vocal during the extended opener, with Hampton emerging to rip a late solo as jazzy horns and percussion drove the funk clinic to completion.
Parliament’s iconic “Flash Light” followed, with funky synths beginning to percolate following an early brass masterclass to open the cut. “Raise the roof,” motioned Clinton, raising both arms in the air while pointing skyward.
Clinton, an octogenarian, crouched down and bounced along in timeless fashion as the ensemble dropped “Pole Power” from Funkadelic’s 2014 return First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate, their first album of new material since 1981’s The Electric Spanking of War Babies.
“Make my funk the P-Funk!” shouted the crowd in unison over band solos as the group began making its way toward Parliament’s “P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up),” with Clinton egging on the crowd, cupping his ear as he turned back to the band.
Nothing brings people together like live music, with the Windy City P-Funk faithful uniting on the one earlier this month.
“How y’all feelin’, Chicago?” asked Shider midway through the George Clinton set, setting up Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove,” early on. “Chicago, everybody say yeah!” he continued, channeling Stevie Wonder in the city in which he recorded “Fingertips” live on stage in 1963. “Tonight, it’s important that we remind each and every one of you,” Shider continued. “Repeat after me: We are one nation.”
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