James Brown

House of Blues, Anaheim

Talk about having a funky good time! While the Godfather of Soul may not be the hardest working man in show business anymore, it's hard to tell. This show was everything you'd expect a James Brown show to have ... lots of musicians, singers, dancers, not to mention side-show guys and two capes. Hey. I don't know how they really crammed all those people up there on stage. I think Parliament is the only other show that even came close to the number of people/instruments on stage. Check this ... two drummers, two bass players, two guitar players, one percussionist, two saxaphone players, one guy who played keyboards and trumpets, four singers (the lovely Bittersweets), and two half-naked dancing girls. And that doesn't include James, and two other guys who introduced him and helped him with the famous cape. Needless to say, he's a talent. Working as performer and band leader James put on one hell of a show which included just about everything you've ever seen or heard about his performances .... all the fancy footwork, screaming, dancing, etc., etc. And did I mention the music was great? I had gone to this performance more out of respect for James and wanting to see a legend before he retires. I got so much more out of it than just that. Judging by the fully-packed in audience's reaction, they did too. I could see him again and again and never get tired of it. He's just that good.

As an added bonus there was no opening act! Just two numbers by the backup band.

Added Note
I've seen James a couple of more times now, and while each show is damn near exactly the same as the other, I have no regrets. I think it's impossible to have a bad time at one of these shows. Check him out should you get the chance ... no regrets ... I guarantee it.

You can find James Brown's website here.