Concert Photos: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic Showed There Ain’t No Party Like a P-Funk Party at MGM Northfield Park

Prior to the George Clinton-led Parliament-Funkadelic show at the MGM Northfield on Saturday night, I had a few moments to speak with Greg Boyer, the long-time trombone player with the band. “I had a t-shirt when the first George Bush was running against Bill Clinton in 1992 that said ‘George Clinton for President!’ He said, then chuckled and continued, “I still have it somewhere but it’s probably all moth-eaten by now.”

If Clinton was considered presidential in the late twentieth century by his fans, he’s been venerated to royalty today, and that notion was on full display Saturday night. As the multitude of musicians came out onstage, George Clinton, wearing a military-style hat and a very eccentric jacket, took the spotlight to the cheers and admiration of the crowd. He sat, much like a king, on his throne center stage, waving to the jesters that had gathered around him.

Clinton is approaching seventy years in the music business; the multitude of musicians that have joined and left P-Funk is a roster of Who’s Who in the Funk and Rock world.

Holding court to the band gathered around him, Clinton would sing a few bars and then hand off the vocal duty to one of several vocalists on the stage with him. The show was only around a dozen tunes, but each song went on for ten minutes or more, showcasing the strengths of most of the members of the outfit.

Their cover of House of Pain’s “Jump Around” sported three different guitars and four separate vocalists. But don’t think that it was a cacophonous mess; these are all finely-honed musicians who know how to wrap themselves into a tune and make it something special each time they play it.

The old adage appears to hold true: There ain’t no party like a P-Funk party cuz a P-Funk party don’t stop. And George Clinton, a man pushing 84 years old, ran across the stage Saturday night. It’ll take a lot more than seven dozen birthday candles to stop this party.