Disco is to funk what swing was to jazz: the same thing only poppier. Both funk and disco moved on its bass, but one crawled on its bottom and the other slipped on the ice.
Kool And The Gang were a premier disco band in the 1970s and indeed David Lee Roth went out of his way to mention that Van Halen cut their teeth covering Kool And The Gang songs.
Opening for VH on Thursday at MSG, Kool were a mostly youthful remix of the original band with Kool on bass and they hit the hits with vigor and tempo. "Hollywood Swinging" were like Chic never happened, old fashioned, horn heavy, multi singing, "Jungle Boogie" was well worn but a blast and a hoot, and Prince Hakin took over "Ladies Night" and it was almost a hip hop mix of the classic song.
The top track of the evening was an sing along to "Down On It" wit the sax stretching through the melody, playing the notes like it wait was jazz not disco and the crowd invited to sing along.
Kool ended with their biggest hit, the arena sports fave "Celebration" , which must have kept them in shiny metal suits for decades, "Celebration".
Kool And The Gang might be a nostalgia band but they are a completely pro nostalgia, who have come to party and even got the mid-40s Van Halen crowd to move their widening booties to the beat.
Grade: B+