This tour celebrating George Clinton’s 50 years on the road is being billed as his last. Yep, the mastermind behind Parliament and Funkadelic — two of the most influential acts of the ’70s — is retiring, but not before throwing a massive party before he gets the funk out of here.
That stank stops into St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater on Thursday.
For those who need a little history, Funkadelic brought black music to white audiences by adding a syncopated beat to psychedelic rock, while Parliament infused science fiction into black culture by blending space-age theatrics with grooves even James Brown and Sly Stone could envy.
Clinton’s support acts on this tour – from Fishbone and Dumpstaphunk to Miss Velvet and the Blue Wolf – are testament to just how many generations have felt his influence. The only surprise here is that there’s no hip-hop on the bill, given how often rappers have sampled the big man over the decades.
Tickets start at $45 and are available via themahaffey.com.
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This article appears in Aug 22-29, 2019.