GEORGE CLINTON
@ CASINO RAMA, ORILLIA
JUNE 21, 2024
For the very first time in nearly a decade, George Clinton returned to Canada for a pair of dates, the former of which saw the funk legend bring Parliament-Funkadelic to Orillia’s Casino Rama. Not only was this Clinton’s first Canadian date since 2015’s performance at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square, but was the first since his canceled 2020 festival spot at the city’s annual Canadian Music Week in 2020.
Clinton’s performance was more than just a concert, it was a party, an event, a celebration. Had this not been at Casino Rama, it could have, very foreseeably, been a block party, with musicians coming and going, hopping on stage for a solo, then disappearing only to make an appearance when needed. This was the nature of the show, Clinton brought along a 14-piece band—a n
umber I am only fairly confident on – that consisted of a three-part horn section, another trio of singers, three guitarists, a rhythm section, and more. The band sounded full and balanced, and while technical difficulties would make some of the vocals drop out unpredictably, the energy was unmistakable. Clinton himself would spend much of the set seated by the drum riser, singing along, but shying away from much of the lead vocals. His role was as much lead singer as it was bandleader and hype man. To watch him was to see him conducting the band with various signals, while also mouthing different melodies and cueing different rhythmic shots. This only works for the band because of the communal funk that is the foundation of the P-Funk sound—the band can function with Clinton in the backseat and still feels unmistakably that of P-Funk. That being said, Clinton’s presence was undeniable—truly a figure that remains larger than life and fulling captivating.
Taking the stage for a little more than an hour and a half, Clinton and his band, consisting of generations of his own family, performed only a handful of songs, often taking the chance to indulge in lengthy jams and solo sections that would extend a song past the 10-min mark. Here lies the communal nature of Clinton’s funk, along with a brilliant display of musicianship and chemistry among the band. This was most apparent in the latter half of the set, which took the shape of a nearly endless jam with songs ebbing and flowing seamlessly from one another, including stellar performances of “Maggot Brain”, a cover of House Of Pain’s “Jump Around”, “P. Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)”, “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)” and “Atomic Dog”.
George Clinton embodies funk. He saw what the likes of James Brown, Sly Stone, Isaac Hayes, and Curtis Mayfield had done and reinvented the genre for the ‘70s by introducing a wave of alternative influences, an unbridled energy of pure, unadulterated reckless abandon, and thematic elements that dealt with escapism on a cosmic level that sought to bridge science fiction with the realities that faced Black America. As such, Clinton remains one of the most important and influential figures in popular music as his influence would extend far past funk but also into pop, alternative, punk rock, jazz, and hip-hop. As he takes more of a back-seat role in the performance, Clinton is not only the heart and soul, but the driving force behind Parliament-Funkadelic. His music has always been a communal collaboration, and now, with a greater theme of it being a family affair, the Parliament-Funkadelic dynasty continues forward with the contributions of at least three generations of Clintons. Clinton’s performance was a joyous celebration of a six-decade career of music, artistry, and creativity; ultimately demonstrating that the old adage remains true: ain’t no party like a P-Funk party ‘cause a P-Funk party don’t stop.
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Photo Credit: Lynsey Weatherspoon/Redux
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