Thursday, October 2, 1997
Rick James charges up fans with electrifying performance
MUSIC: Audience goes wild over the Super Freak’s provocative
behavior
By Ryan Jackson
Daily Bruin Contributor
Mr. Super Freak himself, Rick James, performed as an intoxicated
and erotic conductor of wild energy Monday night at the famous
House of Blues.
Celebrities such as Magic Johnson, Warren G and Snoop Doggy Dogg
attended. Although very few people dressed to impress, everyone
claimed to be a foundation member that night. Foundation members
pay $10,000 a year to be on an exclusive year-round guest list. For
those who had no clout or could not talk a good game, there were
plenty of ticket scalpers roaming the premises. The crowd was just
as ecstatic. You could hear people saying, "Girl, we just saw Rick
James, and nobody knew who he was" and, "He was so fine."
Inside the club was surprisingly as diverse as a Caesar salad in
an African garden. With this being James’ first comeback show since
his release from Folsom Prison, both young and old just wanted to
see and vibe with Rick James. The band began to play, and the crowd
began to rock like a roaring sea. Hands were clapping, and 12"
woofers were kicking. The lights became dim and slowly rose to a
soft lavender.
Strutting, calm, cool and collected, James entered stage left.
The music gradually boiled to an intense rate and simultaneously
Rick James’ tempo began to rise to the occasion. At the blink of an
eye, Mr. Moon Child himself, dressed in white from head to toe, was
front and center. Like a wild boar, he knocked over the microphone
stand and tripped all over the microphone cord. The microphone
stand mysteriously wobbled back in place as he snatched up the
microphone. He then proceeded to swing it like a lasso, grinning as
only Mephistopheles himself would.
Meanwhile, the crowd without a doubt felt this extraordinary
stage presence. They were just as rowdy and crazy as good ol’ Rick.
The cheering and screaming from the crowd competed with the woofers
and speakers of the band. James then continued to shake his ass and
made sure the entire crowd could see.
This concert was genuinely about the fans. He constantly
participated in the traditional call and response fashion, wanting
to know how the crowd was feeling. He even shouted, "Did you come
here to sit on your ass?" He proudly boasted, "This ain’t no Mary
J. Blige. This is the real thing." He then placed the microphone
between his legs and moved his hips as if the microphone were his
genitalia. A woman in the crowd shouted, "Ricky!" He replied,
"Thank you, Baby" and mentioned that he had written for artists
such as Smokey Robinson, Chakka Khan, Stevie Wonder and Snoop Doggy
Dogg.
The most intense moments of the night were when he performed
"Busting Out" and "Super Freak." Once the beat from "Super Freak"
rolled in, the crowd built up into an enormous wave and crashed the
dance floor every time James said "Super Freaky." The band was at
the crowd’s mercy – the House of Blues literally shook. The
turbulence did not stop there – the ultimate explosion was when he
performed "Busting Out." James was grooving his hips, face down to
the ground, dashing backing forth on the stage, and he even freaked
a trio of stacked speakers. The crowd was begging for more, and
Rick continued to deliver. Once the band played the final beat,
Rick James’ charismatic conducting abilities ceased, and the climax
was over.
Rick let the pot simmer a bit once he left the stage, but Jo Jo
from his own personal creation, the Mary Jane Girls, heated things
right on up. Although she attempted to be sensual, she appeared to
be more of a humorous Jessica Rabbit. Jo Jo had no problem raising
her sheer lace skirt so everyone could see more. She thoroughly
enjoyed shaking her rump to her first platinum album, "My House."
Anyone at the edge of the stage may have seen a little more of what
they expected, but the guys didn’t seem to mind.
When Rick James returned to the stage he was fitted in black
leather and handed out flowers to the women in the audience. He
then calmly approached the keyboard and played a smooth melody that
mellowed out and sexually stimulated the room. He then said, "Chill
out – I know y’all came here to hear some funk," and concluded the
night by discussing lovemaking and hot, wet sex.