In May 1968, Sly And The Family Stone played Madison Square Garden, to “only white faces” as the former Family Stone, current Graham Central Station bassist Larry Graham noted at his return forty-two years later to the venue.
Folllowing a funny Sindbad stand up half hour (on what to say if your significant other asks if you think Halle Berry is hot: “If you like that type”) and before headlining Prince, Graham stole the show.
Dressed in white and looking like an old time Southern gentleman, Larry opened with a 15 minute jam that functioned primarily as an objective lesson in how to play the bass. Bleeding all melody out of the sound, he finger picked his bass at the top of the neck, he slapped it -a style Graham created, he moved from pure rhythm, to free form jazz as funk workout, to Funkadelic outer of your mind: one moment he sounded like the Graham of old, the next like a Spaceman had picked him up and carried him off to Armageddon and he was playing the theme tune.
Graham followed that with his only hit “One In A Million You”, his baritone croaking and cracking but who cared because, he took us back to 1968 and nailed it dead. I saw Sly at bb king’s in 2007 and this was what Sly couldn’t do.
“Dance To The Music”, “Thank You (Fallatinme Be Mice Elf Again)” and then Prince came out and paid tribute to a band that was a huge influence on him. Prince sang along with the best moment of the night “Everyday People”, jumping around like a pogo stick in the middle of the stage. and the closing “I Want To Take You Higher”.
A superb set, history as living, breathing music.