My sleeper concert of the weekend is War, the Southern California band, formed in the late 1960s that blends flowing funk, Latin, Afrobeat and rock into a sound that has held up extremely well over the years. Case in point: Who doesn't get a little kick in their step when they hear "Low Rider."

Show details: War w/Triptico/Soul Purpose/The Producers @ State Theatre. $26.

Here's a couple of vintage vids to prime the pump:

"Low Rider"

"Slippin' Into Darkness," from Soul Train (dig the dancers)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8iffDvXTcm8%26hl%3Den%26fs%3D1

This article appears in May 13-19, 2009.

Eric Snider is the dean of Bay area music critics. He started in the early 1980s as one of the founding members of Music magazine, a free bi-monthly. He was the pop music critic for the then-St. Petersburg...