Parliament Funkadelic ft. George Clinton @ Old Forester's Paristown Hall - Louisville

August 26th 2023: Parliament Funkadelic ft. George Clinton, Fishbone at Old Forester’s Paristown Hall - Louisville, KY

Photos courtesy of - Emily May

Parliament Funkadelic Ft George Clinton brought their Just For The Funk Of It Final Tour?!? to Paristown Hall on August 26th to a hyped and eclectic crowd of fans who were ready to dance, get funky, and have fun! Opening the show this evening was Los Angeles rock band Fishbone, who combined elements of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul, resulting in a distinct sound that fans have been enjoying since the band formed in 1979. The band is touring with original members Angelo Moore, Norwood Fisher, Dirty Walt, and Chris Dowd (who hasn’t appeared on a Fishbone record since 1993), as well as longtime drummer John Steward and new guitarist Mark Phillips. Although the band experienced some technical issues during the first couple of songs, it didn’t slow the band down and the issues were quickly resolved! Starting their set off with fan-favorite “Party At Ground Zero”, they got the crowd hyped from the first note! Playing a 12-song set that included other hits such as “Everyday Sunshine” and “Ma & Pa”, they also performed a few songs from their latest self-titled EP (produced by Fat Mike) that included “All We Have Is Now”, “I Don’t Care”, and “Estranged Fruit”, their take on the Billie Holiday classic protest song that saw them collaborate with NOFX. Ending their set with “Servitude”, Norwood talked a bit about Parliament’s amazing legacy and announced to the crowd before leaving the stage “Maybe if we make enough noise the mothership will come down and land on us!”.

And land they did! George Clinton and his collective of Parliament-Funkadelic members came out on stage and it was an instant party! Everyone was having so much fun together on stage, with that energy quickly transferring to the crowd. At 83 years old, George Clinton was moving around the stage and having fun with his collective of singers and musicians and with the crowd. Spending much time at the front of the stage with his microphone out in the crowd, the fans happily sang along with him! He spent some time sitting in a chair towards the back of the stage when he wasn’t singing, but no less engaged, as other members of the collective all came together to take turns at the front. As energetic as the collective was on stage, the crowd was just as upbeat, dancing and singing along to every song! The energy was happy and euphoric and evidence of the power of music to bring people together for their love of the arts. Performing a set list that included Parliament and Funkadelic covers such as “Funkentelechy”, “Cosmic Slop”, “Baby Like Fonkin’ It Up”, “Get Low”, “Flash Light”, and the George Clinton hit “Atomic Dog”, they gave everyone a great night of music and a funky good time!

FISHBONE