I'm really proud of how Bootsy has taken over the reins of the whole James Brown/P-Funk empire. Bootsy has been working very hard over the past couple of decades, almost unknown to many. He's been fiercely developing his craft, and playing with others, while also keeping up with current technology.

Since the time of MySpace, I noticed how Bootsy saw the benefit of social media. And since those early days, Bootsy has been ALL OVER the Internet. There are so many Bootsy dedicated websites & blogs out there right now, it's wonderful. He's gotten the type of media coverage over his latest release "Tha Funk Capital of The World" like he's never gotten before in his carreer, lol. BOOTZILLA seems determined to turn this mutha out this year, lol. And I'm happy to be a part of the experience.

He gets ALL my support for this project. "Tha Funk Capital of The World" era is going to be a time in my life to remember, I already know it.

Hallelujah!

pennylover said:

wow thanks 4 posting theAudience! Always nice 2 read your reviews, and also glad 2 see u back with us. Your knowledge and love 4 music is a welcome 2 this site...

I would love 2 have been at that show. The Nokia is a great place 2 an artist. Glad u had a wonderful time. Love the pics.

Thanks, you're too kind.

Fun to be back if only on a temporary basis.

Music for adventurous listeners


tA

manki said:

Thanks for the pics and review!

Can't wait to see Bootsy in Sweden at the rockfestival "Hultsfred" in July!

That'll be my 3rd Bootsy concert!

/peace Manki

Looking forward to your review.

Music for adventurous listeners


tA

I'm jealous...

Did anyone go to the Chicago show this pass Friday?

PDogz said:

These are all great pictures posted here, but I particularly find these interesting. I always focus on the equipment at concerts, almost as much as I enjoy listening to the music that comes from it all. I appreciate that you've shared these with us very much. I find the closeups of these rigs just fascinating (particularly from this perspective... ON the stage).

You're welcome and I totally get it. I'm the same way.

Sidebar:
I've done this a few times in some past posts when i've had the opportunity and it wasn't an imposition to the artist.
The Zawinul Syndicate (RIP): http://prince.org/msg/8/207444
Chick Corea's Elektric Band: http://prince.org/msg/8/256025
Steve Lukather: http://prince.org/msg/8/323479
Allan Holdsworth/Alan Pasqua: http://www.prince.org/msg/8/203407


Music for adventurous listeners


tA

PDogz said:

Will do! And can think of no better place to share my experience than right here on your thread.

We should just make this the official Bootsy Summer 2011 Tour thread, lol. As we'll be Keeping That Funk Alive

Good idea.
Took your advice and changed it.


Music for adventurous listeners


tA

theAudience said:

PDogz said:

These are all great pictures posted here, but I particularly find these interesting. I always focus on the equipment at concerts, almost as much as I enjoy listening to the music that comes from it all. I appreciate that you've shared these with us very much. I find the closeups of these rigs just fascinating (particularly from this perspective... ON the stage).

You're welcome and I totally get it. I'm the same way.

Sidebar:
I've done this a few times in some past posts when i've had the opportunity and it wasn't an imposition to the artist.
The Zawinul Syndicate (RIP): http://prince.org/msg/8/207444
Chick Corea's Elektric Band: http://prince.org/msg/8/256025
Steve Lukather: http://prince.org/msg/8/323479
Allan Holdsworth/Alan Pasqua: http://www.prince.org/msg/8/203407


Music for adventurous listeners


tA

Great stuff man.

theAudience said:

PDogz said:

Will do! And can think of no better place to share my experience than right here on your thread.

We should just make this the official Bootsy Summer 2011 Tour thread, lol. As we'll be Keeping That Funk Alive

Good idea.
Took your advice and changed it.


Music for adventurous listeners


tA

SUBSCRIBED!

HuMpThAnG said:

magnificentSynthesizer said:

OoOoO! What was she doing there?!

was wondering the same thing

and who did she come with?

Obviously, she was there to see Bootsy, along with everyone else!

She came solo via an invitation from an associate of Jim Brown's Amer-I-Can organization.

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

theAudience said:

HuMpThAnG said:

was wondering the same thing

and who did she come with?

Obviously, she was there to see Bootsy, along with everyone else!

She came solo via an invitation from an associate of Jim Brown's Amer-I-Can organization.

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

Okay, so I went to see Bootsy Sunday night. I want to respond with my review, but am taking my time to gather and organize my thoughts, I want to be sure I cover as much as I can. The short & sweet? Bootsy blew the cobwebs out my mind! Back with more thoughts in a day or so.

theAudience said:

[img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/21.jpg[/img:$uid]

A photo essay of Bootsy terrorizing NYC at B.B. King's

[img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/1.jpg[/img:$uid][img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/2.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/12.jpg[/img:$uid][img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/8.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/23.jpg[/img:$uid][img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/15.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/29.jpg[/img:$uid][img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/33.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/38.jpg[/img:$uid][img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/28.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/35.jpg[/img:$uid][img:$uid]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b59/jbodine/Music%20II/Bootsy/Bootsy%20-%20BB%20Kings%20NYC/37.jpg[/img:$uid]

Bootsy at BB Kings, NYC -...e 26, 2011

(taken on my Razr V3 phone as I ran down the street to the club ...yeah, I know - the resolution is TRAGIC!)

An entire week has passed since I saw Bootsy at BB Kings. Amazingly, I'm still in a bit of a fog over the experience. I've seen a lot of shows in my life, and have taken time to give it my objective opinion, but this may have well been the best damned concert I've ever been to in my life, lol.

So, when I first walked into the club, FREEKBOT was on (whatever THAT was exactly, I'm not sure, lol). I heard the music, but because that act was setup just off stage, I couldn't really see what it was. It almost seemed like it could have been one person. Anyway...

The first thing the grabbed my attention was that while the opening act was playing off to the right, Bootsy had equipment that took up the ENTIRE STAGE, lol. Much more equipment than I've ever seen Parliament/Funkadelic bring to that same club. Parts of his set were actually out past the stage, stacks upon stacks of amps!!! I was like... DAYUM...BOOTSY CAME TO PLAY!

Right when we thought it was time for Bootsy to come out, another band came out to the stage. They were a local group of High School kids that I believe are sponsored through Bootsy's foundation. They played one song, a rock classic - though I don't remember the tune, might have been one by Janis Joplin - or from that era. My only thought at the time... BRING ON BOOTSY! The crowd was supportive of the kids though and gave them a warm round of applause at the end of their performance.

Then came Bootsy!

You know, I hardly know what to add aside from what many already know. Bootsy tore the damned roof off tha sucka! LOL. He stuck pretty much to the playlists I've seen posted here previously, he played all his hits like one right after the other. The band was EXTREMELY tight, EXTREMELY well rehearsed. It was a 2 hour show that ran like clockwork!

One of the many things that struck me as I released my mind and got lost in the wall of sound, was that when Bootsy plays some of the Funkadelic hits, like One Nation or Cosmic Slop, his version sounds more authentic than when I hear George Clinton's P-Funk All Stars play the same songs! Realizing, of course, that they all played on those same recordings together. But the difference that became clear to me was this: Usually, when we hear George Clinton live in concert, Bootsy is not with them; and when you go see Bootsy live, cats like Garry Shider (rip) and Michael Hampton are not usually with him. All that is to say that I really notice and appreciate the contribution that Bootsy added to those Funkadelic records. Bootsy was an important element to those Parliament/Funkadelic hits. In fact, the credits to most of their hits always read: Clinton/Shider/Collins (...and quite often Worrell too).

One thing about going to the clubs in New York, you're bound to run into dozens of beautiful people, regardless of what your idea of beautiful may be. Every time I turned around, some jaw-dropping gorgeous thing was shaking their booty all up in my face On The One! In fact, that was another funny thing. Although everybody was dancing and doing their own thing, EVERYBODY was in sync with one another because everybody was locked in on the ONE. Bootsy literally had that entire club JUMPING!

My favorite musical moment was when Bootsy went into "Munchies For Your Love" followed by "I'd Rather Be With You". The fidelity was phenomenal, you could hear a pin drop. Bootsy was truly at the top of his game, it was as if he was performing a funky incantation over the audience, and we had all fallen under it's spell.

This concert made me feel so good inside, it was good for my soul. Bootsy really gave everybody their money's worth, with no less that 3 complete costume changes, lol. One of them outfits was so sparkly, that all I could make out on stage at one point was just some twinkly sparkles holding a double ended star-shaped Space Bass, lol. Then Casper came out his sheet, jumping out in the crowd, reaching out and touching everybody. He said the club told him he'd need security to go out in the crowd like that, and Bootsy said he told them "The people of New York ARE my security!" LOL. Everybody went nuts in support, lol. He even declared New York City... "Tha Funk Capital of The World!!!" (...although I'm pretty sure he probably does that in every town he plays, lol).

Bootsy was really stressing the importance of keeping it real, and how we need to appreciate and show love for The Greats that are still with us, in light of how we keep losing loved ones every day. He also stressed the importance of keeping real music alive, which was the inspiration his brother Catfish left him with for "Don't Take My Funk Away", a song I've got a whole new appreciation for since this show. As they played their last encore (which btw just happened to be on the same evening as the parade and culmination of Pride Week in NY on the heels of the new marriage equality law), Bootsy said he had one important message that he wanted to leave New York with for the night. He wanted everybody to chant:

It's Official, Family Approved
One Nation, Under a Groove

It's Official, Family Approved
One Nation, Under a Groove

Thanks for the superb pics and the review. Are they gonna add any more cities? Why must I be deprived of the funk!

I saw him on Monique last week and it wasn't enough. I did notice that his female bass player is hellafied though.

PDogz said:

Review

Thanks for the review. Sounds like you had a time.

The pix look like he had the joint rockin'.

Makes me homesick...

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

theAudience said:

PDogz said:

Review

Thanks for the review. Sounds like you had a time.

The pix look like he had the joint rockin'.

Makes me homesick...

...as your original set of pics made me miss Los Angeles. One Nation Under a Groove!