At
8:00pm, Maceo Parker started his warm-up act with some "Uptown
Up".......I noticed the strangest thing: Greg Boyer was nowhere on the
stage!!! (I'll probably do some investigation on that matter in the near
future!) Another unpleasant thing about the show was the problems with the
sound system.....lots of feedback noise or "scratchin'"
(static-like) noise! "Baby Knows" featured some good guitar riffs
by Bruno Spreight, some meaty bass riffs by the one and only former P-Funker
bassist Rodney "Skeet" Curtis, and a hot Maceo sax solo!! Maceo set
the ladies afire with some sultry sax riffs during "If Only For One
Night", and the band even tossed in a little bit of "Creepin'"!
The meaty basslines were back for "Shake Everything You Got
(Southwick)"....so was the hot trumpet solo by Ron Tooley! It didn't hurt
to have a great synthesizer solo by Wil Boulware!! Maceo did an interesting
instrumental and it had a comedic ending. Maceo did a funny Ray Charles
impersonation during "Georgia on My Mind"......he even screwed up
when he tried to do a falsetto!!! Martha High shined on "Think (About
It)". "Doin' It to Death" had some great rhythm guitaring!
"Maceo's Groove" and "Pass the Peas" featured a bit of
rapping by Corey Parker, the latter having the horn intro from "Tear the
Roof Off the Sucka"! By the way, Melvin Parker was introduced to the
audience......not, he did not play. The Maceo set was over at 9:35pm.
At
10:15pm, George Duke began his set with a heavy funk/jazz
instrumental......tight, powerful drumming by Ted Campbell & heavy bass
riffing by Mike Manson permeated the air, as well as odorious keyboard riffs by
George and David!! The second tune was a light, ethereal jazz piece that turned
into a heavy funk/jazz groove. "6:00 in the morning" featured backing
vocals by Jim Gilstrap, Tina Hathaway, and Lori Pierre. The rhythm section
rocked like hell.....the bass & drums were so powerful that it shook the
Constitution Hall to its foundation! Lori did wonderful lead vocals on
"I Want You For Myself" and the good-tar riffs were good......thanks
to Paul Jackson! After talking about paying a visit to South Africa, the band
did "Anticipation", which was an emotionally-charged ballad featuring
some strong piano playing by George Duke. The next song, (I think it's called)
"As Time Passes By" featured Maceo Parker as guest saxophonist and
the insane, monstrous bass riffs by Mike! "Sweet Baby" was a sweet
blast of R&B from the past. George messed around and did a few snippets of
some songs. Then, the band finally did a serious funk jam that got everyone off
their Sir Nose asses and partying!! ONE SERIOUS PROBLEM: THE SHOW ENDED TOO
FUCKIN' EARLY AT 11:35PM!! NO "DUKEY STICK" OR P-FUNK'S
"MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION"!!!! THAT IS WHY I CAME TO THE SHOW IN THE
FIRST PLACE!!! DAMN!!!
Submit suggestions or comments to david.brooks@brookenstein.com