Music Review: Sly heard we missed him well he’s back (sorta)

Whoever thought they’d get to see Sly Stone get on stage again? No-one, until some months ago reports started filtering through that he’d been appearing unannounced on stage with the Family Stone band, based around Little Sister (Vet), Sister Rose’s daughter Lisa, and Cynthia on trumpet. Back in the day, Sly was notorious for showing up late to gigs, or not at all, and disappearing for years into drug-induced seclusion. But he was also known for having the first integrated rock/r&b band, for playing the best set at Woodstock, for the greatest Greatest Hits album ever, and for inventing racially/politically-conscious funk. So his return to performing is something of an event and the mood at the House of Blues on Sunset on Saturday night was one of excited anticipation.

The 11 o’clock start-time came and went. with only some rippling of the stage curtain and sporadic sound-check sounds. An hour and a half later the crowd was restless – a little booing – but a mighty cheer rose as Sly shuffled through the curtain to announce he was ready, resplendent in a big-buttoned black and burgundy frock coat, black bandanna, short mohawk and shades (natch). A fall some years ago has left his neck twisted such that his chin rests almost permanently on his collar-bone, but it doesn’t detract – he’s the gnarled old man of funk. He mentioned a dispute with his representation, that he wasn’t being paid, and that he had suggested refunding the crowd’s money and playing for free (apparently it didn’t fly). He said he needed to go for a piss but that he’d return “to do the best I can.”

Return he did, but the crowd was in no mood to open with a singalong to “Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey” and with some mike volume problems on stage, the song stumbled along and petered out. Even the (first) appearance of the guitarist’s Pete Frampton voice-tube thing couldn’t lift it. The band consisted of Sly on keys; guitar, bass and drums; a big white dude at the back who seemed to play most of the important organ parts, a scrawny dude in a big Chanel cap to back up Sly’s vocals, Jerry and Cynthia from the old days heading the horn section (augmented with a trombone), sister Rose on electric piano, and niece Lisa on lead female vocals, looking fine in a white dress. The topping and tailing of songs was a bit shaky, but the mike volume got sorted and when they hit their groove, the band was cooking.

“If You Want Me To Stay” locked in right away, but tailed off after a few verses. Sly then asked what we wanted to hear. “Everyday People” was the answer and they kicked right into it. Liza’s vocals soared, the six-string bass bounced and rumbled, and the drummer even took off his hat (though he would keep his sweater on all evening).

“Sing A Simple Song” took things up a notch and Sly was rewarded with a gift from the audience – a giant gold marijuana leaf on a chain. He seemed pleased. The band switched to the relaxed groove of “Hot Fun in the Summertime” and the guitarist (looking serious and rather concerned all night) broke out the Frampton tube again. Sly puttered around the front of the stage and offered $100 to anyone in the audience who could do a passable vocal and sent his mike out into the crowd. The first taker was impressive and a balled up Benjamin went soaring into the pit. Two more followed before another call of nature sent Sly backstage again (he informed us that he pisses more these days than he used to).

Lisa made the lead vocals of “Somebody’s Watching You” her own and when Sly returned he got his (grown) kids up on to the stage. The two boys waved and exited with relief, but Sly called back his daughter Nobi for a bit of solo noodling on the organ. The evening was far less about a slick show than a celebration of Sly and his actual presence onstage, and the celebration of family that the band had always been about (and which guarded against over-professionalism..) Nobi stuck around for backing vocals on “Stand!” and things really started to heat up when the band totally nailed the super-funky breakdown and then moved right onto “I Want To Take You Higher.”

But Sly was off again, this time with no explanation. The band stretched it out, but without Sly up front (and no “boom-lakka-lakka-lakka” backing vox) one got the feeling of watching a slightly under-rehearsed house band, and the sense of pointlessness was unmistakable. Jerry goes over to the drummer. Is he saying that Sly had left the building? And amongst the onlookers at the side of the stage, why does that woman look so much like Germaine Greer? Before things start to feel too strange they do the right thing and launched into “Dance To The Music” with Lisa leading the way with gusto, but still no Sly.

He had not returned by the time they launched into the straight version of “Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” nor when they broke it down to the dub-funk “Thank You For Talking To Me Africa” version. The wind-down was inevitable even before the horn section packed up and strolled off across the front of the stage. The rest of the band gradually followed suit until sister Rose was left alone onstage behind her electric piano, repeating the refrain and looking somewhat forlorn, an apt image for the anti-climactic comedown.

So the audience was gypped and the band slightly second-rate, but who expected anything slick from Sly? For all the waiting and, in the end, disappointment at seeing (and hearing) so little from him, he’s still got the funk, and those moments where Sly was engaged, the band was flying, and the magic of those awesome songs of his was released were precious enough to be savored.

Photo by volume12