Chuck Brown & PFunk at the 930 Club
9:30 Club, 815 V St NW, Washington DC 20001

I approached the 9:30 Club at about 8 PM. I parked nearby in the neighborhood - the parking lots I had parked in years prior were now Howard University parking lots. I picked up my ticket and stood by the front for a while until people started treating a group of people together as "the line". While outside, I saw Steve Boyd walk in, followed by Belita Woods, who wore a camouflage outfit, and I saw the Caucasian keyboard player smoking on the corner (I should have asked him his name). Unfortunately, I was in line behind a couple of yuppies whose asinine conversation was more annoying than the cold. I later saw P-Nut as well. When I got in, I went up to the left balcony, and then briefly went down to cop the 420 Funk Mob's latest release "Live in Spain." (It's good, I've listened to it.)

Chuck Brown
Chuck Brown's Soul Searchers opening line up was: Chuck Brown on vocals and guitar, 1 saxophone player, 1 trumpet player, 1 trombone player, a bass player, a keyboard player, a drummer, a conga player, and a cowbell player. Another saxophone player came in during the set. They performed: Wind Me Up Chuck, It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Don't Have That GoGo Swing), Moody's Mood for Love, Woody Woodpecker, I Need Money, Run Joe and a song starting with "Say what". Then Chuck invited Little Benny to come out. He performed on vocals and on trumpet. I didn't recognize all he performed, but did do: a chant "Do you feel alright", "Hold Up, Wait a Minute" and Cat in the Hat. Chuck Brown's grand daughter, whose name I didn't catch, came out and danced and played the tambourine. She wore a short black dress. Chuck held her as she danced for a little. Little Benny then lead Back It on Up. Chuck then called on Paul Reed Smith, the guitar manufacturer, to perform on guitar with him. They played a tune I didn't recognize with the lyrics "Fiesta, the Capitol, and Uptown People": I now know it is Fiesta. He then brought out Sugar Bear from EU. Sugar Bear lead a chant "Party People", and then they performed Da Butt with Chuck's grand daughter doing the dance next to Sugar Bear with her butt to the audience. Then they performed Cosmic Slop, with Gary Shider coming out to sing after a few verses. Gary was not wearing his trademark diaper yet; he was wearing a regular shirt and slacks with a leather trench coat. There were some solos, then Kay Kay came out and rapped about "Keeping it real". Chuck asked "Y'all ready?" He then said, "That's the man, not me", but I wasn't sure who he referred to. He also told the crowd out to "Give yourself a hand". He called his daughter Kay Kay and grand daughter to him. He then delivered a rhyme about his grand daughter a couple of times: "She's a smidget from a midget, if she was frigid, she might have been named Gigit." Their performance lasted about an hour. It was a good performance, but could have been tighter.


Steve Boyd, George Clinton, fans and Kendra Foster
Picture is Copyright Washington Post

George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars
P-Funk's line up was:
Vocals - Steve Boyd
Vocals - Gene "Poo Poo Man" Anderson
Vocals - George Clinton
Vocals - Shondra "Sativa" Clinton
Vocals - Kendra Foster, looking beautiful as always in a short silver dress
Vocals - Robert "P-Nut" Johnson
Vocals - Kim Manning, wearing an orange and black patterned shirt and matching tutu-like skirt with fur boots
Vocals - Belita Woods
Vocals, Keyboard - Michael "Clip" Payne
Bass, Vocals - Lige Curry
Drums - Frank "Kash" Waddy
Drums - Rico Lewis, African-American guy - young (late 20s, early 30s) wearing a white headband. He would switch off with Kash
Guitar - Michael Hampton
Guitar - John Hickey
Guitar - DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight
Guitar & Vocals - Gary Shider
Guitar & brief Vocals - Jeff Fogerty, sang backup vocals only very briefly in the middle and played guitar at the very end
Guitar or Bass - Cordell "Boogie" Mosson, an old African-American - short (shorter than Poo Poo Man) with a gray beard
Bass - RonKat Spearman, at the very end of the show
Keyboards - Caucasian dude (late 30s) with a full beard and thick dark hair
Keyboards - Bernie Worrell
Keyboards - Jerome Rodgers
Percussionist - Caucasian/Hispanic guy in his 40s, heavy set
Saxophone - Greg Thomas
Saxophone - Caucasian guy in his 30s, curly brown hair
Theremin - Lili Hayden, a light-skinned young girl (20s), wearing a blue tutu, beehive hat and pumps with a dark jacket
Trumpet - Bennie Cowan
Dancer - Carlos "Sir Nose" McMurray

They started off by performing the "We want the funk" chant, and then performed Funkentelechy, Bop Gun, Gamin' on Ya, Undisco Kidd, and a chant "Holla for me". Then John Hickey and shortly after, George Clinton, came out, wearing a multicolored striped shirt, sweat pants and an overcoat. George did his "Aww Skeet Skeet" chant (probably originated by Lil Jon - it is on his album Crunk Juice, which they followed up by performing Get Off Your Ass & Jam, then Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) choruses, and then they followed with a reprise of Get off Your Ass and Jam. They next performed "Wind me up" choruses from Funkentelechy, and Get Up for the Downstroke. After that, Rico Lewis took over playing drums from Kash. They then performed Sexy Ways. Belita Woods sang Jimmy G & the Tackheads' Slingshot and Poo Poo Man sang James Brown's Payback.

They went to break, with Kash playing drums again, then Kim Manning led singing I'm Never Gonna Tell It - there were some nice guitar solos within. George did his "Ludicrous" chant, which was very long. The people in the audience by me shouted "Play some music", so when Sir Nose held up a sign with the words "F*ck George" written on it, they cheered. George kept on, hilariously chanting "Girl cootie, girls gone wild", which led into a "Funk that Shit" chant. One of the guys from the right side of the stage sprayed Silly String. Kendra Foster led Bounce to This with some more nice guitar solos. I noticed at this point someone in the backstage area on the left balcony filming the performance with a professional camera. Maybe we'll see this in a future release? Clip briefly played on percussion with the other percussionist, and then ran off the stage. Then they chanted, "F*ck that sh*t". Then Michael Hampton came out. He experienced some technical difficulties and played Maggot Brain, then left the stage again. Rico took over playing drums again, and then they performed Dog Star (Fly On). This led into a chant "Plop plop phiz phizz", followed by Clip talking lines from Promentalshitbackwashpsychosisenemasquad (The Doo-Doo Chasers). This led into a couple of chants by Gary: "Can you feel that" and "Can I get a witness". Then they performed One Nation Under a Groove. Chuck's grand daughter came out on stage and danced with them while playing the tambourine. George came back on stage from the left side, spraying Silly String as he did so. He wore a jersey that said 34 East. This led into a "Funk ain't going nowhere" chant. Kash took over playing drums. They performed Flashlight, then Jerome Rogers came on the main part of the stage with a mobile keyboard on a strap like a guitar (prior to this, I could only see his hands as he was sitting behind the speakers). Sativa came out and performed Some Stank and Hard as Steel. They went back into performing Flashlight and the Caucasian saxophone player came out (I had not seen him previously in the performance). I noticed there was a pre-teen African American girl dancing on the right side of the stage. Next they performed "How's your funk" choruses from Funkentelechy with some nice guitar solos and then "We want the funk" chants. Kash was back playing drums. Next they performed "Ain't no party like a Pfunk party, 'cause a Pfunk party don't stop" choruses, followed by Atomic Dog. At this point, they brought female fans on stage; there was no drummer for a bit. Jeff Fogerty and RonKat came out to play. They closed with Jerry Lee Lewis' Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On. At the end, P-Nut came out of the backstage area and was dancing behind me. I was surprised that they were allowed to perform until 2:30 AM, since the lights came on at 1:45 AM.

I have enclosed three other people's descriptions and then at the bottom, so you can compare, I have enclosed the setlist from the September 23, 2004 PFunk performance at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC I attended so you can compare.

Here is a second description, from George Darden.

The show sold out Thursday afternoon so I was on the scramble for a ticket to the hottest show in town (DC). The show was not to start until 9 PM but I was at the 9:30 Club at 6:30 looking for tickets. I was not alone. Several cats were there early looking for tickets. You could hear the funk oozing from the walls as band members were warming up. At one point one of Chuck's musicians was in the alley bringing in his equipment. I went old school and helped with his equipment and got inside the backdoor. I was in! I have done this many times over the years sneaking in to see the Ohio Players, New Birth, Tower of Power and even War and Yes in Atlanta. But it ain't like it used to be, I had no credentials and eventually got kicked out. So I'm back outside in the cold at a sold out show. Next I run into Chuck's grand daughter who I've known over the years as Gidget (cause she's short like a midget). I have nothing against short people, honest. She promised me her ticket if she could find Chuck and get in free. I never hooked back up with her so I ended up buying a ticket from a brother who had an extra one. The music before the show sounded like one of my tapes. Mandrill, JB, Curtis, Jimi and Slave funked up the joint before Chuck came out. Nice! I could tell we were in for a special nite. The sound was crisp and clear and the bass was booming. The crowd started crooning "Wind Me Up Chuck" so I knew it was time to start the jam. My boy Brian spotted me down front. He's my boy (sax for Chuck) but he couldn't get me in. It was tight and packed up in there all night. Chuck did all the standards like Run Joe, GoGo Swing and Money. Little Benny came out and did some Cat in the Hat and next thing I knew Sugarbear was on stage singing Da Butt! Chuck had the crowd in the palm of his hand although I have heard him tighter. Sounded almost like a pick up band to me. But even still he had the crowd and he was crankin'. He's really looking old these days, but got more energy than InnerG! I went to get a drink and I heard Cosmic Slop blazing from afar. I rushed back to my spot and there's Gary Shider and a few other Funkateers jamming with Chuck, Bear, Benny and the boys. There's also Gidget and Kay-Kay, Chuck's rapping daughter. Kay is the truth. She can out rap Kim (formerly) from Rare Essence any day. Badder than George's grand daughter also (didn't see her last night).

The Pfunk set was awesome also. Started off like the show I saw last summer with Funkentelechy and Bop Gun but then it was all Funkadelic for the next 2 hours. Lots of Mike Hampton and Blackbyrd was the best I've ever seen him. He was on fire! Boogie was there but not sure if I saw Billy Bass. My favorites were Dog Star and the James Brown tribute that they have been doing the last few shows. This time though was the best. Dude (Poo Poo Man) was dressed in a JB like suit with a big hat and was doing the James Brown while screaming like JB. He was sliding and the band was crankin'. Blackbyrd sounded like Prince doing Jimmy Nolen. Crisp clear guitar chicken scratching for days. Unbelievable sound all night. Especially during this JB extended jam. BTW, the audience was probably 75% black! Blackest Pfunk show I have seen in many years. It was a black show and it was sold out because Chuck was on the bill. He brings his crowd whereever he plays around DC. He probably left there and jammed at an after party somewhere. He's the 2nd hardest working Brown in show business. He's to DC what the Nevilles are to NO and what Wayne Newton is to Vegas.

During Maggot Brain I went outside to catch some air. Guess who I see in the alley behind the club? F*cking Wizard of Woo! The Insurance Man for the Funk! I hadn't noticed him all night. He was not introduced like the summer show where he was introduced and advertised. I talked to him for a bit and he said he was only playing a few minutes here and there. He didn't seem to be feeling well (and was quite out of it), but he was Bernie and he IS the man! When we both returned to the room, he looked over at me and played a little Insurance Man. He knows that's my jam. I always threaten not to show up at these shows but when I go I'm so pleased and funktified. I only went this summer cause Bernie was advertised and I only went last might cause Brian Mills was on sax. But I just gotta go. Since 1972 I've only missed a handful of DC Pfunk shows. This one was special for several reasons. The sound was awesome and my boy was jamming keyboards and sax for the Godfather of GoGo.

"G"

Here is a third description, from David Fleiss.
I have to agree with Dr. G: it was a great show.

Biggest disappointment: Let me get this out of the way up front. Bernie was in the house, but (a) his keyboards were all the way in the back of the stage, (b) if his keys were amplified at all, they were buried in the mix, (c) Bernie didn't get any solos, (d) Bernie stood at his keys most of the night but didn't seem to playing much, and (e) George never acknowledged Bernie. If G is right, and Bernie wasn't feeling too well, that explains some of these problems.

In no particular order, here are my comments:

- Chuck Brown is incredible. I have heard several of his CD's but I had never seen him live before. Next time I see that he's playing, I'm gonna make a point to get a ticket. Ironically, this evening my wife and I saw Chuck in a commercial for The Washington Post, wearing the same shirt, tie, and vest he wore last night. "It's a Washington institution, just like me." The fact that he closed his set with "Cosmic Slop" -- he was making fun of the high notes, which seemed to have prompted Garry Shider to come out and sing them -- was also very cool.

- Michael Hampton came on-stage about half-way through the show, played Maggot Brain, and left, never to return. At the beginning of Maggot Brain, it sounded like he was having a lot of trouble getting the right sound from his guitar, but he eventually straightened it out.

- Blackbyrd carried most of the guitar duties last night. I think he was on stage for 85-90% of the show.

- I've read that they've been singing "I'm Never Gonna Tell It" lately. Last night was the first time I've heard it. I like the fact that they're dipping into some obscure of the more songs.

- I think it was during "I'm Never Gonna Tell It" -- or maybe the next song there was a woman who came out and played the theremin. I've read about the theremin and seen pictures, but I had never seen one being played before. I'm not sure whether it was good or bad, but it was interesting.

- They omitted my two least favorite parts of the show -- Belita Woods solo numbers (I know a lot of people like it, but her voice just grates on my nerves) and Trey Lewd raps.

- Shondra (a/k/a Sativa) came out and did "Something Stank" and "Hard as Steel." Kendra Foster (I think that's her name) sang "Bounce to This." (She also sang along, or sang parts of, several other songs.) There was a white girl wearing a ridiculous tutu who sang something (note: he's referring to Kim Manning - Jordan), but I didn't care much for her.

- In one of those "you had to be there" moments, the woman in front of me (we were right up by the stage) lifted her shirt and flashed her breasts at George and Garry. Later, during "Atomic Dog," George brought her up on stage. He tried to get her to flash the crowd -- which she didn't -- and then he walked up behind her while she was dancing and held his wireless mike in his crotch and tried to hump her.

- At the end of the show, which lasted about 3-1/2 hours (that's just the P-Funk segment), the band continued to play as the singers and roadies were packing up the mikes. Garry came to the front of the stage and started waving everybody away, saying "Go home!" Fortunately the band continued playing for another 5 minutes or so.

- As G mentioned, the crowd was Blacker than most of the P-Funk shows I've been to (even DC shows). Maybe it was because Chuck Brown was on the bill.

- Interestingly, there were at least 3 or 4 white musicians playing at different times with P-Funk. One of them was John Hickey, a member of Bernie's Woo Warriors. I didn't recognize any of the others.

All in all, a great show!

Here's a fourth description from Robert Ward:

SOLD OUT! Posted clearly at the front of the 9:30 and with a landing p-party of four destined to get our funk on.We weathered the chilly January D.C. night with an eager but confident stance. For we never have tickets in advance. We just do the old Richard Pryor"What the fu** you mean you don't have no tickets?I'M DRESSED!"

So we got our tickets. By the time we got in, Chuck already was groovin'. Real clean sound and they were sounding as tight as a record. He did some classics like 'Back It Up','We Need Some Money',and of course 'Bustin' Loose',all extended jams with some jazzy solos, rocked out guitar and funky horns. Some serious rap was spit by Chuck's daughter Kay. Chuck kept saying of Paul Reed Smith, as they played some funky guitar solos "he makes these things", "the number two guitar manufacturer." He was playing like he made 'em too. Then Li'l Benny came on stage and supplied some of that R.E. style rap leading to a go-go united nation as Sugar Bear of E.U. joined them for a performance of 'The Butt'.

The P-Funk horns Bennie Cowen and Greg Thomas also sat in with Chuck's group. Then the drum roll intro for Cosmic Slop sounded off and Chuck dropped a nice guitar solo in there and was soon joined by none other than the original vocalist for 'Cosmic Slop' Garry Shider. The backing vocals by Sugar Bear and Benny were right on time too,as they did the "EW AHH EW EW AHH EW" that hasn't really been sang to Cosmic Slop' since the studio version as well as the use of the congos.

Great opening act for the 'P'.It was historically and biologically correct. It's well known that the original Funkadelic drummer Tiki Fullwood and other band members of Funkadelic made DC there home for a while and it's been reported that Tiki and Chuck actually invented go-go while jamming at some point. (Note: Kip Lornell recently spoke with me about how thinks that P-Funk has a powerful influence on GoGo - Jordan) The P-Funk Horns jam with Chuck's group from time to time these days. But,for the real hardcore mugs you still only want hear but so much pre-p preparation! I mean,Dickhead was solid. I looked to my right and all the way across the floor and saw one STILL CONDOM HAT appeared to be unmoved in a sea of local go-go motion. I told my brother ,"look he must be saying "the funk only!", and I had to laugh as I maintained my step to that funky-ass go-go beat.

The 'P' took the stage after a real brief break in the action with 'FUNKENTELECHY'with Lige droppin' dat nastified bass guitar. Never will that cut be anything but exciting. Steve Boyd did some serious vocals on that and all night,Boogie strapped up and got into the rhythm. Right off the top Billy "Bass" was m.i.a. The 'UP FOR THE DOWNSTROKE' medley 'Slingshot' was a serious jam that mutated into everything from 'The Big Payback' to Kendra's 'Bounce to This'. BLACKBYRD MCKNIGHT was cold in effect and on some sho nuff fiyah! His rhythm guitar was right on point and so funky that you had JUST KIND OF SAY THIS GUY HAS GOT IT. George was in good form and energy all about it all night. He broke out some silly string and it was live Droski graphics as it ooozed from Kendra's hair. At some point in the show I noticed Bernie Worrell behind the keys. Very unanimated but I still heard his wizardry coloring between the lines of that which was already being played. Mike "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton did his DC appearance as he did upon his very first back during Capitol Center days,with 'Maggot Brain' only. Sounding good. Next Byrd took us straight to outerspace with the DOGSTAR featuring another young drummer, who I believe was Benny Cowen with a slight age progression that made him unrecognizable to me. Rico and Frankie were the other drummers. Although I couldn't really see behind the kit from my left side of the stage.

They went on to do 'NEVER GONNA TELL IT' and that was the tune that had it feeling crazy as '71 in there. George and Garry got hyped and made it psychedelic with the vocal doings. Can't forget about Clip who was looking like a mad scientist funk boxing and keepin' the crowd on their toes. After all that excitement the start of 'Flashlight' began and I saw one of the faithful almost stomp and complain enough to go right through the floor like rumpofsteelskin! I mean this mug was like "WHY?" like he just lost the lottery. But,they had spoiled us with the rare stuff, then we got One Nation, Atomic Dog....the us-u-al. The horns and thangs were tight on that standard stuff too though, with some great solos and 'Freedom Jazz Dance.'

They closed it out with a rock and roll medley ,you hear that Dick Clark? It was freaked out enough to be a Funkadelic version of 'A Whole Lotta Shakin', though.

A different crowd crossed paths for Chuck and the 'P' was cool. Everyone got to see and hear something different while getting what they came for. Somehow the stage time wasn't an issue either. The 9:30 let them play for a good minute. Bout time.