18 September 2025 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – words and pictures by Bec Harbour
It’s not every day you get to see a living legend say goodbye. But on Thursday night, Brisbane got the full George Clinton experience, loud, funky, and defiantly over the top as George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic brought the Mothership to Fortitude Music Hall. Though the tour is billed as Clinton’s farewell, the energy on stage suggested anything but a farewell. Instead, it felt like a passing of the torch, a celebration of P-Funk’s legacy, and a reminder that the funk never dies.
The Drax Project opened the night with an eclectic, genre-blurring set that mixed alternative soul, jazz-infused grooves, and art-rock flair. Their presence was confident, and the band’s chemistry kept the growing crowd engaged. While it’s never easy opening for legends, The Drax Project handled it with poise. They were experimental without losing the groove, and by the time they wrapped up, they’d earned more than polite applause, they had genuine momentum.
The Drax Project – FMH – photos by Bec Harbour
What followed was less of a “concert” and more of a funk opera. Clinton may be well into his 80s, but his role as funk’s elder statesman is alive and well. Acting as both front man and curator, he guided a rotating cast of musicians, including long time P-Funk veterans and new-generation firebrands through a sprawling, genre-defying set.
Set highlights
‘Maggot Brain’ The guitar solo was pure theatre, psychedelic, and reverent. The crowd went dead quiet, totally transfixed.
‘Jump Around’ (House of Pain cover) Clinton’s crew gave it a funky edge, flipping it into a heavy, horn-laced chant that had the whole floor jumping.
‘Atomic Dog’ No surprises here, this was one of the night’s biggest moments. Clinton’s voice led the call-and-response, with the crowd barking and grooving in unison.
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic – FMH – photos by Bec Harbour
Staples like ‘Flash Light’, ‘Give Up the Funk’, and ‘One Nation Under a Groove’ were likely part of the set turned into massive 15 minute jams. It was hard to tell what many of the songs were as they have been melded into almost a continuous flow of music. At no point did this detract from the set with people recognising parts of a song and getting a big smile on their faces and continuing to have a boogey.
Visually, this was a full-spectrum funk experience with costume changes, layers of funk mythology (and chaos) provided by the numerous rotating MC’s, a horn section that heated up the funk, and multi-generational energy on stage (Clinton’s granddaughter as a back up singer).
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic – FMH – photos by Bec Harbour
Clinton himself acted more like a wizard than a bandleader — summoning grooves, encouraging chaos, and letting the P-Funk machine revolve around him. Clinton did spend time sitting on a chair conducting the chaos around him, which was the only real indicator of him slowing down.
The sound mix was sharp for most of the night — thumping low-end, crisp horns, and swirling keys. The vibe was loose but deliberate, chaotic but crafted. If this was truly George Clinton’s last show in Brisbane, he made it count. This wasn’t just nostalgia — it was a living, breathing funk ritual, alive with sweat, soul, and cosmic absurdity.
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic – FMH – photos by Bec Harbour
