An updated tour list is available at pfunkarchive.com

-P-Funk Tour List-


George Clinton &
the P-Funk Allstars



Review 11/17/00
From: J-Thang

Merrilville, Indiana, 11/17/2000                                           

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with myself. I just got home from
a P-Funk show before midnight -- normally they're just starting phase 3 of 
the show by that time. Yes, it was a short (by PFAS standards) show. But   
good and memorable. Just...different. Not your typical Chicago show - but  
technically it ain't Chicago. 2-1/2 hours, but I ain't complainin'. They   
knew they wouldn't be on long and venue management made that pretty clear  
from the git go. Anyway:                                                   

Arrived at 7:00, an hour before showtime. My brother & me say what the hey,
may as well cop our seats. So we walk into the auditorium and lo & behold, 
the sound check is still goin on. There's our heroes up on stage playing   
SOUL MATE of all things. Before we could get to our seats, security chases 
us out. "They're not ready yet. Wait outside." Okay, so we and a growing   
crowd wait in the lobby while being serenaded to Soul Mate for a good 30   
minutes -- vocals & all. Man, I wanted to be in there!                     

Show started similarly to the other ones on this tour -- Mommy, What's a   
Funkadelic, then All Your Goodies are gone, Bop Gun, Gamin on Ya and       
Undisco Kid / You Do Me. Just when I'm expecting Cosmic Slop, they go into 
Atomic Dog! Okay, that's a switch. Then Free Your Mind and the HOF riff.   
And I'm saying, why does it seem like this is gonna be a sixty-minute show?
Then a good version of Flashlight, with the horn solos at the end (but not 
as good as when Bernie played with 'em in July!). Next was Knee Deep and   
FINALLY we get some guitar work. Kidd's solo was excellent as usual.       

Some newcomers thought that was the end of the show and GOT UP AND LEFT at 
this point -- only an hour. Tsk tsk tsk. Anyway, next came the middle      
portion starting with Radio Friendly DJ / Ain't Nothing but a Jam, then all
the rap classics: Shonda on Sumn' Stank, Louie on Booty with the Blackbyrd 
solo. Treylewd did Billy Boy (probably won't be hearing THAT               
anymore. . .right, Trey???) GC did Dope Dogs. At this point I'm really     
confused, trying to figure out what would come next.                       

Then came what was for me the high point of the show: Maggot Brain with    
Kidd Funkadelic wearing the HOODED CAPE & FACELESS MASK a la 1977! This was
one of, if not the best Maggot Brain I've heard from him. Off the hook! -- 
Then just over 2 hours and the HOUSE LIGHTS COME UP. Blackbyrd, Lige, &    
Ron Wright did an excellent power trio instrumental that I've never heard  
before. Byrd soloed, and let me now interrupt with this special message    
sponsored by our friend Sconi: THE ONLY PERSON ALIVE WHO CAN FUKWIT BYRD ON
GUITAR IS STANDING TO HIS RIGHT EVERY NIGHT. Now back to our regularly     
scheduled review: At this point some of the unfaithful are heading for the 
exits. Uncharted territory here. This jam went on for about 5 minutes, then
Garry comes out and starts One Naton, which always works in these parts.   
(Lige, Byrd, and most others have packed their stuff & left by now.) After 
that, GC led a ragtag Tear the Roof Off, with whatever musicians were left,
then here we go -- the house sound system is cut off. A minute later the   
guitar amps power is cut, and here we are, a few hundred faithful wanting  
our 3 hours, GC on stage telling us to go home while roadies disassemble   
things. You could see folks in the crowd sayin' "It's 11:15. It can't be   
over. Just watch, they'll come back out" Weird scene. And no Soul Mate     
either.                                                                    

Observations:                                                              

Peanut hit the stage AFTER GC, thus failing to fool newbies into thinking  
he was GC. LOL!                                                            

Performances were by the book, only Mike Hampton seemed dedicated to doing 
something special, and he delivered, as he always does.                    

GC did a lot of singing & sounded good.                                    

This wasn't a Chicago show. But it was a nice, tight package that didn't   
ever drag and included most of what we need to hear, 'cept for Red Hot     
Momma and Standing on the Verge :>(                                        

I'm not drained... But I can still hear!