Make My Funk The P Funk!

Last night the Mothership Connection landed in full force in Downtown Los Angeles. For those looking to get off their asses and jam, they didn't have to look far to find the funk! Crash Mansion was the landing pad, hosting not one but two funk filled events at the same time. The funk was about to hit the California fan once again, as George Clinton came to town!

Thursday night was one of the nights when the social planets all seemed to align, giving star gazers more options than they could handle. The evening was set off by DJ Hapa, Mr. Choc, Candice and the crew at Cheers, holding their weekly happy hour party. Their early after work special is a force to be dealt with, as they projected the NBA Finals on the big screen. The drink specials had most of the home team folks tipsy way before The Lakers went into half time. The best part of this deal is that early birds were able to sneak into the club and see both Game 1 and George Clinton, Parliment/Funkadelic for FREE! I think that was the best deal in town that night, as tons of Laker fans were in the spot early, cheering and booing the game!

As I stood in the back hammering down Buds, Kobe and the boys choked in the fourth quarter as The Laker loss took the vibe down a bit in the room. DJ Hapa and Mr. Choc lit the turntables up and got the party rockin' again, as the main room began to fill. This would be the room that would loose it's roof, soon as P-Funk hit the stage.

Uncle Jam still knows how to put the show together. While he isn't as energetic as he used to be, the jams still thump! He was joined onstage with several members of his Parliment/Funkadelic squad. Classics like "Flashlight", "Get Off Your Ass And Jam", "We Want The Funk", and "Tear The Roof Off The Sucker" were played to the crowds sheer delight, as were new cuts like the Kendra Foster lead "Bounce To This".

Kendra crooned the sultry vocals while the band backed her with a lite bumpy track. Soon as she stepped back from the microphone, the Funk Mob tore loose and gave us a sonic explosion, forcing us to jump instead of bounce! That was just one of the night's shining moments.

Clinton has been called "the referee", as he leads his crew of musical misfits to the jam session promised land! His call and response to the the funk players behind him gave the crowd flashbacks of James Brown. George could often be seen standing and smiling, vibing the the music while the band played on. The theatrical presentations of Sir Nose, Starchild, and Poo Poo Man brought his entire Funk galaxy to life, while George continued to lead the band by his sheer presence.

To make sure that Los Angeles heads would have something to talk about, Clinton brought AChozen to the stage as well! The new super group features RZA of The Wu-Tang Clan as well as Shavo of System Of A Down. They kicked off a freestyle session of "Shame On A Nigga" that had the crowd going nuts. I had to laugh out loud when Clinton announced RZA as Bobby Digital. A girl standing next to me screams to her boyfriend, "Oh my God, whats a Bobby Digital?!?" As her boyfriend corrected her, I took a few shots of the stage, grabbed a souvenir, and exited stage right.
George Clinton is still on tour, check his website for dates and cities. Make sure you catch P-Funk when they come to your town! Oh yeah, click here to view my pictures from the show, and make my funk the P-Funk!