{{{After a forty-minute wait, The Time took to the stage, with Jerome Benton telling the crowd that if they wanted to see Morris, they should just shout for him. Needless to say, we did. One fellow in the crowd elicited peals of laughter with his comment of “Any Morris Day now.”
Veteran members of The Time (keyboardist Monte Moir, drummer Jellybean Johnson, sidekick/ backup singer extraordinaire Jerome Benton, and cooler-than-cool front man Morris Day) were joined by Freeze (bassist), Chance (keyboardist) and Tori (guitarist).}}}

With Morris strutting toward center stage, several people boycotting The Taste Of Cincinnati (because of last years “riotous” events) held up signs to block the crowd behind them and taunt The Time in front of them. They were quickly talked down by a polite, smooth-talking Jerome with comments like “*Tsk* *Tsk*...they didn’t even spell my name right” and good naturedly telling them they might have signs "But *I* got a mic!"

Finally the signs came down with The Time rolling through “Wild And Loose,” “The Stick,” “Blondie” and “My Drawers,” four classics from (respectively) The Time’s second, first, fourth and third albums. Even if the crowd didn’t seem to know the lyrics to this diverse musical selection of Time material, they still rocked out to them nonetheless.
“Fishnet” and “Oak Tree,” two Morris Day jams from his solo days, kept the momentum going strong, especially with the whole crowd shaking their hands like the titular “Oak Tree.”

“Jerk Out,” shifted the show back into latter day Time material before a string of older classics (“Get It Up,” “C-O-O-L,” “777-9311,” and the ballad “Gigolo’s Get Lonely Too”). Note: The crowd REALLY got into “C-O-O-L,” spelling out the title in sign language as The Time tore through the funky joint better than any twentysomething pop band of today could ever hope to do in their wildest dreams.

Morris got ready to launch into the lyrics of the ballad “If The Kid Can’t Make U Come” but then told the crowd that he wasn’t going to sing but rather “talk a little S-H-I-P” to them. He invited a slew of pretty girls are to stage, asked them if they were older than 18, and asked them if they were ready for some “sexiness” and “nastiness” and if they weren’t they should still say “Yes” not “No” or they’d have to leave the stage.

Morris selected a buxom blonde (in her mid-30’s, I’d say) to have a conversation with the guitar player, Tori AKA “Freak Juice” (more about him later). But this conversation was going to be particularly one-sided, with Tori talking her up not with his mouth, but with his guitar. His playing become more and more passionately, working up to a feverish frenzy as he strolled around her and slid his guitar between her legs. She carried on with a bit of blushing, but still gyrating her ample hips as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

After a VERY smooth version of “Ice Cream Castles,” the rest of the ladies on stage got to “line 'em up, line 'em up, line ‘em up, back the booty up” (and shake 'em as well) as The Time implored the crowd “you got 2 shake something.” Jerome teased a girl on stage that he was going to give her 20 bucks to buy a jewelry box for all the stuff in her mouth. He then asked if she had any more in any other…locations. She replied “No.” Jerome then looks at the crowd and goes “Riiight.” Classic Time.

And, of course, what more can be said of “The Bird” other than it worked the crowd into a frenetic fit of dancing. EVERYONE was The Bird and when The Time walked off stage following that number, Jerome remained on stage, calling after his band mates: “Um…fellas? I think you forgot one” That “one” they “forgot” was “Jungle Love,” of course, and the chants of “OH-WEE-OH-WEE-OH” echoed afterward into the warm, Cincinnati night.

After the show I managed to get autographs from Chance and Tori (on my “Ice Cream Castles” CD sleeve) and I bought Tori (AKA Freak Juice's) CD - "Juicemaker" and asked him to sign that as well. When I told him that "Jesse Johnson ain't got nothin' on you" he smiled and said "thank you" with modest surprise. I asked a security guard if Morris or Jerome or any other Time members would be autographing stuff. He told me their bus was about to leave from the other side of the stage. By the time I got there, however, The Time had departed.

Perhaps the greatest thing that can be said about The Time’s show, other than their total display of funkiness and the fact that the show was FREE (thank you Taste of Cincinnati organizers!!!), is that their show managed to unite people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds in a night of pure, unadulterated joy.

What Time Is It? Time for boycotters to learn a lesson from Morris Day and his band: Spread positive messages with the capability of unifying a city, not negative ones that might bring further decline to it.
And fellas, wouldn’t **that** would be truly C-O-O-L.


Eric S.
bluemoodz@hotmail.com

PS For more info on the Freak Juice CD, point your Web browser to http://www.freakjuicemusic.com or call 818-505-6878. What a fantastic guitarist. Can’t wait to listen to the CD.

PPS I'll post photos from the show sometime next week. (if they come out alright, that is)

PPPS Here's the full set list

1. Wild and Loose
2. The Stick
3. Blondie
4. My Drawers
5. Fishnet
6. Oak Tree
7. Jerk Out
8. Get It Up
9. C-O-O-L
10. 777-9311
11. Gigolo’s Get Lonely Too
12. If The Kid Can’t Make U Come (instrumental)
13. Ice Cream Castles
14. The Bird
15. Jungle Love

Anyone got a soundboard copy?

awesome review. sounded like a great show!

Funny that the protesters would actually ATTEND the festival rather than boycott it...seems a bit hypocritical.

Great review nonetheless!! Sounds like you had a great 'Time'!! And for FREE, too!!

"Aint noboby baaad...but me"

At the House Of Blues, they also tore it up!

My favorite was Ice Cream Castles! It just funked out and had that beautiful progression, TIMEless!

One thing that suprised me during at that song was when one of the keyboardists starting doing a little of 100 MPH from MAZARATI! It was in the middle of Ice Cream Castles and I was floored!

I remember Jerome showing the girls on stage dance moves! Much like the video!

I skipped a few shows now, but no mo'! I'll be going to all of them from now on!

Glad to see they put Blondie back in the setlist, hope its still in there when I see them in October(hopefully another show will pop up before then also)

Nice review

CORRECTION:

The Time's new members are...

Chance Howard (keys),
Rick Smith (bass) [who also goes by "Freeze"]
Tori Ruffin (guitar)

Also..."Freak Juice" is not an AKA..it's a band.


Thanks,
Eric