Musicians:

Morris Day (voice)
Jerome Benton (voice and percussion)
Jellybean Johnson (drums)
Monte Moir (keyboards, backing vox)
Tori Ruffin (guitar, backing vox)
Ricky "Freeze" Smith- (bass, backing vox)
Jeff McNeeley (forgive if name is spelled incorrect) - (keyboards)

Against a backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyscrapers, the Time headlined the Target Children's and Fireworks concert day at the South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan. Couldn't have asked for a nicer early summer evening for this outdoor show. Gi Dussault, co-host of the "Upper Room" and I drove from Connecticut and parked in Greenwich Village and took the subway over to Fulton Street. South St. Seaport was packed with people of all ages and colors which is always nice to see.

We arrived about an hour and a half before the Time's 9pm scheduled start. So, we chilled in the back by the water and the sight of the Brooklyn Bridge. There is a mini-mall there and we spotted Freeze and Jerome Benton strolling through. Gi and I decided to go to the second level and saw our good friend, Monte Moir, standing near the overhang. We had a nice 20 minute chat with him and you can't meet more genuinely nice people than Monte Moir. Monte spoke about the Time's recent touring and summer plans. He was really happy about the Time's opening dates for Prince on the "Musicology" tour (and they really happen on very short notice). Monte, who has been in the Minneapolis music scene since the late 70s and seen Prince 100s of times, is still amazed how great a performer Prince is onstage. Monte went to Paisley Park one of the aftershow nights and saw the studios and gear. On to the show....

No matter how many times you have seen the Time, the clock ticking in the intro along with Tori Ruffin's blistering guitar always brings a chill. I give the Time a lot of credit as they were cognizant of the heavy percentage of children in the crowd and toned down the show and it didn't suffer one bit. In fact, it was a refreshing change and the funk still flowed. First up was "Wild and Loose" which got the party going. A testament to how true showmen the Time are is the fact that they kept the crowd rocking throughout despite many of the crowd seeing the band for the first time. The Time played a one hour set 9pm-10pm and went non-stop with classic jams: "The Stick", "Fishnet" , "Oak Tree", "Cool", "Get It Up", "Jerk Out" , "Gigolos Get Lonely Too", "The Bird" and "Jerk Out" . While watching this concert, I got to thinking this is why I got into music in my formative years. Musicians who can play their instruments geniusly, dressed to the nines, and putting on a show. Some bands can do one or two of these things but to do them all three at the same time is a rarity.

Highlights: Monte Moir's keyboard breakdown during "Gigolo's Get Lonely Too". Monte playing a grand piano at a NYC jazz club would be a treat. Jellybean Johnson's torrid drumming drives the Time's music. Dressed in a dapper olive suit and black hat, Jellybean leaves his soul and sweat at the drum kit. Plus, his intricate live drumming to "777-9311" is worth the price of admission. One of the best aspects of the Time is the combination of rock and funk. Tori Ruffin brings the rock edge to the band with his guitar but one of the standout guitar licks of the night was Tori's tasty funk rhythm licks during "Jerk Out" . Great sounds.

As mentioned before, the Time toned down the show presentation with respect to the amount of children in the audience. And to be honest, the show was outstanding in this way. Funky still. A lot credit goes to Jerome Benton who puts the sparkle into the Time's show with his crowd interaction, humor, and dance steps. During "The Bird", Jerome brought up about 10 kids to the stage and most of them danced and had fun. But there was one young girl who seemed a bit frightened and stood like a statue. Jerome picked her up and glided with her during the Chili Sauce slide. Very cool!!!

You will have ample opportunity to see the Time this summer on their own concert dates and shows with Rick James and Teena Marie and the surprise Prince dates.

Thanks to the fellas for their friendship and musicianship.