George Clinton Brings the Funk to Grand Rapids

George Clinton’s farewell tour rolled through 20 Monroe Live in Grand Rapids Friday night to bring the funk to the assembled and to take another bow during this string of final bows. The legendary Detroit-based, Parliament-Funkadelic, sometimes also billed under variant names, has been performing for 50 years, and Clinton himself has been active in music for almost 65 years, the exact age of rock and roll as a musical style. They were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. It would be an understatement to say the collective’s performance at 20 Monroe was anything but a thank you and appreciation for Clinton and his legacy, but a fair amount of excellent music, both old and new, was mixed together in the nearly two hour show which got the audience dancing and left big smiles at the end of the night.

The evening began with a set from Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf, but the act scheduled to perform second, Dumpstaphunk, didn’t show due to a vehicle breakdown in Ohio. Thus, the set change was a bit longer than usual, but P-Funk took the stage, very casually building into a jam out of a tuning warm-up, and the music continued nearly-constantly for the next two hours. In addition to Clinton, guitarist DeWayne “Blackbird” McKnight, with the group since 1978, brought another level of respect and connection to the group’s classic era, taking many of the leads and solos throughout the night, including “Maggot Brain”, originally made famous by late guitarist, Eddie Hazel. Also, on bass, the great Lige Curry, originally from Flint, MI, who has been with the group for over 30 years.

With many new members filling out roles of departed players of the past, some in their 20s, compared to Clinton, who just turned 78. While Clinton has said he expects P-Funk to continue as a group that writes, records, and performs new material in addition to their large catalog of songs, it is hard to imagine a Clinton-less version of the group generating even half as much enthusiasm or interest.

P-Funk touched on a few fan favorites, such as “Red Hot Mama” and “Freak of the Week”, plenty of newer material with which many were unfamiliar, and a fair number of the group’s biggest hits, including sections of “Flashlight”, “Up for the Down Stroke,” “Give Up the Funk”, “Mothership Connection”, and “Atomic Dog”, some of which were part of a tightly-transitioned medley near the end of the concert. The musical styles varied greatly throughout the night, with the classic funk blending with psychedelic rock, hip hop, and, on some of the newer songs, even thrash metal. Overall, it was clear that Clinton was the star of the show, and though he sat back on a chair in front of the drum kit during parts of some songs, he still directed the band from center stage and commanded the crowd in his unique style, enjoying it a few more times before settling into a well-deserved retirement.

George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic Set List (7/19/19)

(intro jam)/Get Off Your Ass and Jam

Red Hot Mama/P-Funk

*(still working to determine which song was performed in this spot)

One Nation Under a Groove

Flashlight

Freak of the Week

*(still working to determine which song was performed in this spot)

Get Low

*(still working to determine which song was performed in this spot)

Maggot Brain

Dirty Queen

Up for the Down Stroke/Give Up the Funk

*(still working to determine which song was performed in this spot)

Mothership Connection/Atomic Dog/(drum solo)/(jam)

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