At 85, George Clinton has earned the right to take things easy, but clearly no one told him that. Clad in gold, he launched the Enmore Theatre straight into the cosmic depths of funk. The stage was packed with musicians, which is exactly how P-Funk should be experienced. Horns blared, guitars criss-crossed, and voices piled up until the whole place swept into the same groove. It wasn’t neat or restrained and that’s exactly the point.
Watching the generational handover unfold in real time was what stood out most. Veterans like Michael “Clip” Payne anchored the set, while others, especially Garrett “Starchild Jr” Shider and Scottie Clinton, brought a new energy. Scottie was impossible to miss, darting around in her disco-rave get-up, blowing bubbles and radiating cosmic joy.
Clinton himself has shifted into the role of conductor, holding court from centre stage with a grin and a finger point. Vocals are shared around these days, but the machine doesn’t falter. They ran through ‘Flash Light’, ‘One Nation Under a Groove’, ‘Atomic Dog’ and ‘Cosmic Slop’, each met with huge enthusiasm from the crowd.
The bigger picture is what stuck with most. Here’s an 85-year-old legend, still touring the world with what’s become a multigenerational musical family. It was beautiful, alive, vital, and immensely joyous.
