Concert review: George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, Powerstation

If his Powerstation appearance was anything to go by, George Clinton is showing his age. Photo / Supplied

The mothership cranked up around 9.30pm and it wasn't until half an hour later that commander George Clinton - who has steered the Parliament-Funkadelic behemoth for more than 40 years now - wandered on stage.

He was beaming with that lovely squishy smile of his, but his bear-like grumble is permanently hoarse and the 69-year-old band leader is showing his age. Put it this way, Dr Funkenstein doesn't do much on stage these days.

There were flashes of energy, like when Clinton and Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk (a sinewy and crafty Snoop Dogg-type character) lure a lovely lady from the audience into a saucy sandwich.

But it's as if the band - a tight, mean, and joyous sounding 10-piece, as well as various other singers, hype men and hangers on - were nursing Clinton along, almost pulling back at times so his raspy and wrecked instructional rants could be heard.

It's sad to say it, because Clinton is one of music's most colourful, pioneering, and good-time people, but it might be time for him to put his feet up and take a load off.

Then again, if it wasn't for Clinton then the P-funk legacy, and the part it's played in music, especially in the history of hip-hop, would be nothing.

So while his involvement is limited, his role is one of presence rather than participation. He is the embodiment of P-funk which is why the band respectfully refer to him as their "fearless leader".

The chaotic party atmosphere was always one of the foundations of P-funk. And the sprawling three hour show had it all, veering from beautifully shambolic and rump-shaking to dreary and disappointing (with iconic anthem Flashlight which was flimsy as it meandered off on an ineffectual groove rather than keeping that knee-bending and trippy hammer down).

The best was saved for last, when Clinton and his cronies finally turned the Powerstation into a psychedelic shack with a double dose of Funkadelic's Maggot Brain and One Nation Under A Groove, and then Parliament's Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker).

Guitarist Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton's scorching and steely rendition of Maggot Brain took us on a trip up to the "chocolate milky way" and the hazy crazy days of the 70s when the mantra was "free your mind and your ass will follow".

Who: George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic

Where: The Powerstation

Reviewer: Scott Kara