When word got out that P-Funk and George Clinton would be gracing Park City with their presence – most of us knew we’d have to be there. Harry O’s hosted the concert —- but the P-Funk clan ran the show. This was a high maintenance crew, even before the show. Sheila Horne (former Bride of Funkenstein, long-time P-Funk mob vocalist… now lead vocalist for P-Funk) wouldn’t allow anyone to be in the club during her sound check. Some Harry O’s employees said she seemed nervous. Hmmm. This would be a good show.
It’s safe to say that a fair portion of the crowd was tripping by the time the funk started. P-Funk came on late – with the first set only lasting 35 minutes. No matter. The packed house didn’t seem to mind – they came to feel the funk – and they would.
Watch Sheila Horne in action. She still has it. What? The groove. The funk. Not everyone has it. Those who do may take it for granted. If the music moves you – if you move to the music, if you feel it in your core (with or without vitamin a), chances are you have the funk.
Side stage during the show, a Caucasian woman stood in the shadows, tapping her foot while watching Ms. Horne and George Clinton rock the house. Sheila & George were going off —-doing what they do best. While the performance moved the crowd to groove hard, the woman side-stage could only muster a foot tap. No, she does not have it, and perhaps never will.
George Clinton has spent the greater part of his life spreading the good will of his groove, showing all shapes and sizes of people how to shake it – how to let it go and get funky. God bless this man. We can only hope more folks can learn how to relax, party with the Mothership, and give up the funk.
A word for the woman in the shadows – don’t worry what other people think or who’s watching. Even you have soul. Let it be free, and thank George Clinton for showing you how to really live.