GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC
with Bj The Chicago Kid and The Boy Illinois
Taste of Chicago – Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park
Sun 7/15/18

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic:
And their logo says it all: “Parliament: Medicaid Fraud Dog”, with a bloodhound dog front and center, like a detective, surrounded by pills in a canister that say “Nozitol Extra”, a stethoscope, with more pills and a syringe on the other side.
Life ain’t easy folks, especially when you get older, and you’re trying to feel young at heart playing live.
It’s not easy with the other 13 hours in a day surrounding whatever performance, and going through the motions.
Performance then, becomes the highlight.
And aren’t we lucky then, to still have the one and only, George Clinton, who’s always happening, always doing his best to stay in the moment, hailing from Plainfield New Jersey.
Might as well call Chicago his second home- he loves this city so much, even when bringing his innovative funk and 24 hour party people to the masses at Taste of Chicago at 5;30 in the late afternoon.
Not your usual start up time with George and Funkadelic- but no matter.
You give, and you give some more.
And you reciprocate in kind- a shortened set and such, the last day of the Taste in 2018, and fans ready to dance and funk the place up from beginning to end.
How about this to jumpstart your heart:
Start with “One Nation Under a Groove”, into “Flash Light”, Into “(Not Just) Knee Deep”, into “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Joint)”, into “Up for The Down Stroke”.
Another highlight: “I’m Gon Make U Sick O’Me”- this song, with George Clinton’s gnarly undertone of angst and spit and up the ante to whatever- is like Punk Funk- it’s that renegade and cool.
Of course, all roads lead to the finale: “Mothership Connection (Star Child)”, which by all intent and purposes lays down another statement in all things Funk, the meaning of Funk, to this Funk that never gets old kinda Funk, if you get my drift.
Look guys- George Clinton is 78 years old. He was 76 when performing at Taste of Chicago back in 2018. You gotta admire him just getting out onstage front and center.
Yeah, George has to catch his breath a couple times mid performance and take a sit in the front of the drumkit.
That’s fine by me- as long as we see him, know he’s still controlling the uncontrollable party from that vantage point (if that’s even possible with all the crazy folk surrounding him onstage)- knowing full well he’ll be directing the masses shortly once he gets his wind back.
Funk is that serious to George, and always will be.
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. The be all – end all.
Cheers- Bobby Talamine – Music Photographer