I need to get out more

After narrowly escaping Megadeth, Testament and Exodus, it’s time for a look at what’s ahead. Which is a lot. My bulletin board is getting crowded with tickets already in hand.

REM 30 at the Melting Point. Wow, I completely forgot about this until listening to some Pylon today! I bought two $10 tix to this, next Friday April 3. “Celebrating R.E.M.’s 30th Birthday by their friends, featuring performances by Cindy Wilson – Dana Downs and the Debauchelors, Mitch Easter, The HEAP, VieTNam, John Keane, Supercluster [that’s Vanessa and Lachowski], and Casper and the Cookies.

The Whiskey Gentry. Anyone experienced this? I want to go see. April 3 at Star Bar or August 7 at Smith’s.

And how ’bout this? It’s a Thursday night, but I think I’d better take the boys to this one. Tao: The Martial Art of Drumming. April 9 at Tech’s Ferst Center.

April 17. The Carolina Chocolate Drops at Variety. I like what I’ve heard of them and would like to go to this. This is also the day of the Sweetwater 420 Fest. Who’s playing at that?

April 19. George Clinton and Parliment Funkadelic at Masquerade. Can. Not. Wait. Gaby and a friend are coming. Davey Doke? Jason? I have one extra ticket here. Jaffner? Buehler?

PFunk makes us hap-pay!

the man

the band

May 1. Eddie Palmieri at the Rialto. I can probably do this.

May 7. Van Morrison at Alpharetta Amphitheater. Never seen Van Morrison, never been to Alpharetta Amphitheater. Better be the best show ever, because I’ve never paid this much for a ticket, I don’t think. Very excited about  about going with Mal’rey and E.

Joe Satriani is right here at our local Ken Stanton Saturday.  I will take the 15-year olds for some guitar worship.

Northside Tavern, Always a blast, just about any night.

Patty Griffin is touring but why no Atlanta dates yet? The schedule looks like she’s passing us right on by. Waaah.

Michelle Shocked. Coming here some time in November.

The entire Chastain Park Series A is frightening, but somehow they’ve managed my perfect nightmare:

June 7: Styx & Foreigner, with special guest Kansas.

AAAaaaargh! Just throw in a little Bob Seeger and watch my ears bleed, whydoncha?

Others that I may not get out to …

Todd Snider at Variety, April 16. Anyone who refuses shoes is my pal. (And wouldn’t be served at WaHo)

Elvis Costello at Tabernacle, April 26. Who are the Sugarcanes?

Little Feat at Variety, May 14. You know E will be there.

Mother’s Finest at the Local right here in the ‘hood, April 30.

Green Day at Alpharetta Encore, Aug. 9. Tom thinks because he had the pig flu last time he’s going to this one. He better start saving his dollars. Once was plenty for me. But Justin Bieber is in town the same day at Gwinnett. Which will Tom choose?

Bonus! New favorite band name: Backyard Tire Fire.

We want the funk! Give up the funk!

I have been happy (and sleepy) all day long, still bouncing to the groove after last night’s PFunk show at Variety.

Are there Parliment-Funkadelic groupies who follow George Clinton around the country like Deadheads used to trail along after the Grateful Dead? Because I, most emphatically, want to be one. (What would they be called? PFunk PFriends? Clintonites? Funk Mobsters?)

Sitting at football practice tonight (a story for another day), I looked at folks and said, “I wanna go back to PFunk again, wherever they are, right now!”

Jaffner’s been pushing Parliment-Funkadelic CDs on me for years, and I’d seen pictures and maybe some video, but I really had no idea of the par-tay that is PFunk. And I’d most certainly never had the pleasure of being a part of it.

Words, mine at least, cannot describe the evening. After being in the hall for just a few minutes before the show, I looked at E. and said, “Everyone’s so happy to be here!” Folks were beaming and chatting with people they didn’t know, dancing to the piped-in tunes.  One of the best things about Variety is that the audience is so different for each show. This was the most diverse crowd I’ve seen there — not just black and white, but old and young. One nation under a groove, indeed.

Took forever for the show to start and then forever for Clinton to come out– all foreplay for the raunchy anyting-goes party on the stage for the next few hours.  During the last number, I think the entire audience was holding its breath hoping for a wardrobe malfunction.

By the end of the night there must’ve been 50 people on that stage. I would have counted them, but they wouldn’t stand still.

Entrance. PFinally.

George Clinton loves the crowd.

The crowd loves George Clinton.

Variety in love

the man with the plan

somethin stank and I want some

Seriously more fun than ought to be legal on a Sunday night.

Sorry about the bounce in the middle. They said jump! I said, how high?

(Here’s somebody’s backstage pre-party video with a dissertation on neckbones)