Review by the "Upper Room's" Joe Kelley
Event: The Time in concert
Venue: Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut
Date: Friday Feb. 11th, 2005

Players: Morris Day (vox), Jerome Benton (vox, percussion), Monte Moir (keys), Jellybean Johnson (drums), Tori Ruffin (guitar), Freeze (bass), Jeff (keys)

Music maven Electric Man, drummer DW David West, and myself made the 90 minute trek to the Mohegan Sun Casino to see one of our all-time favorite bands, The Time. Friends and funksters, The Time, put on an amazing show. We waited in line for a couple hours chatting up about different musical ideas and just having fun. Tori Ruffin walked by with his guitar on his shoulder and we said hello. "Mike and the Mad Dog" sports radio show was on the air on-stage in the Wolf Den. After they finished, they removed the backdrop and the Time's equipment was already set-up. Freeze strode onstage and soundchecked his bass. We were let in and brought to a nice table on the side of the stage where Monte Moir's keys were set-up.

About an hour before showtime, the Wolf Den quickly filled up inside and the outside rim was packed with people. At 8:00pm, the familiar Time gong/hits intro sounded and the band walked to the stage to thunderous applause. Dap as ever, the band kicked into a funk and roll instrumental with Tori rippin' a great solo. This intro made for a great entrance for Morris who along with Jerome held the crowd's attention throughout. The Time was in great form this evening. We have seen them countless times and we knew this was a special concert with the energy and musicianship exuded. The band played for nearly 90 minutes and started with five or six straight uptempo jams. "Blondie" seguing right into "My Drawers" was amazing. With Tori's guitar getting a spotlight, the rest of the band kept it rocking with great licks and fancy dance steps. "Oak Tree" and "Jerk Out" kept the crowd dancing and Jerome and Morris reveled in the feedback with the sell-out crowd.

The Time once again proved that they are a rarity in the music business. Great musicians who can put on an excellent show. I really enjoy focusing on the musicians and seeing the intricacies of their craft. Monte Moir is a genius at the keys and in fact, using 3 different keyboards, you can see the subtle MPLS sound by watching some of his keyboard lines. We had a birdseye view. Jellybean Johnson, musical director of the Time, drives this funk and roll train with his physical and standout drumming. Bean had the band grooving Minneapolis style with an extended groove during "Ice Cream Castles" . Kinda took you back to the Minneapolis Music Award days in the later 80s. Jerome Benton is the ultimate showman. He can recognize when the crowd needs to get their hype on and he never lets a show sink into boredom. Plus, the man can still dance superbly and he even did an amazing split on this small stage. Another fun thing to watch is Jerome playing percussion on Jellybean's cymbals. I think he was even cracking Jellybean up.

Tori Ruffin excelled on guitar and got a chance to add some blues during the foreplay of "Ice Cream Castles". Mr. Freakjuice tossed his hat into the crowd during one highpoint of the show. Freeze lays that thick bass to the funk of the Time. We had a great spot to watch this true musician throw down. Plus, he recognizes the crowd throughout the concert and people were really digging this. The newest Time member, Jeff, fit right in with some great keyboard flourishes. Morris still has the passion and his voice was in great stead. One cool thing was to see Morris in the side wings of the stage waiting to go onstage for the encore. Morris was combing his hair by himself in the mirror.

An important portion of the Time's concert is their interaction with the crowd. This Connecticut crowd was very diverse with true Time fans, casual R&B radio listeners, to highrollers who had never heard of the Time. But by mid-concert everyone was grooving together. Jerome had several playful jibes with the concertgoers to talk about the Superbowl to the ladies' attire onstage. One touching moment is when Jerome brought a woman to the front of the stage and announced that she is a cancer survivor. When the ladies were brought onstage to dance during "Ice Cream Castles", their husband and boyfriends swarmed the lip of the stage to take pics with their video phones. During "The Bird" , Jerome and Morris shared the stage with "The Whistler".

Afterwards, we went backstage to chill with the fellas who were extremely gracious and thankful for everyone's support. If you have a chance , the Time will be in concert at the Apollo Theater in NYC with the Ohio Players on Feb. 17th.

I went to this show and had a BLAST!!!!! I hope the Time could feel the love and will come back to see us very soon!!