I'm still not sure but I was very much looking forward to my lesson in funk Thursday night. I had never even heard of George Clinton or Parliament-Funkadelic, which apparently is a pretty big deal. I didn't do any homework or research on the band so I was ready to get schooled by the "Godfather of Funk." But I'm not sure he showed up to class.
I mean, the first half of the performance felt more like Where's Waldo only instead of looking for a gangly guy in a red sweater, I was looking for a 65 year old man with rainbow dreads. I never found him, but some say George Clinton was there.
When Clinton finally came out, 45 minutes into the show, I still wasn't sure it was him. Having only seen his crazy-haired picture once before, the man in the green T-shirt and red ball cap was not who I expected. It was unclimactic. No pyrotechnics, no crazy lights, just "Oh, and here's George Clinton!" I was glad at this point to have never actually listened to his music before either. I didn't want to be disappointed in that area, as I hear most of the audience was.
Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh but I had been told to expect so much. Maybe if I had gone into it with a blank slate I could have at least enjoyed the show more. There was still some grooving being done by the audience but not the "no one will be able to keep to their seats" like I had been promised. Maybe it's just his age; or maybe the recent death of his close friend and guitarist. I know that probably took some of the style out of his step. I'm really not trying to be unsympathetic but... I wanted the funk! Didn't you, Nashville?
Uh, I mean, Chattanooga.
Kayla Sloan is an Alabama college student.