Last Friday night’s Funk Fest 2012 at Vinoy Park kicked off with a major hitch when headliner Erykah Badu arrived 2-and-a-half hours late due to a missed flight, and didn’t hit the stage until at 11 p.m. to play a 25-minute set allowed only because Mayor Bill Foster happened to be in the crowd to give special permission.
Fantasia proved the saving grace of the night, taking us all to church with her gospel-soulful R&B, shaking and stomping on a makeshift stage amidst the crowd, and generally bringing a feel-good vibe to the fest.
This article appears in Apr 12-18, 2012.
