The Mothership is coming. On July 5, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic will descend on the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans for the ESSENCE Fest, where they’ll unveil the third iteration of the iconic stage prop for its 50th anniversary. The original Mothership touched down at the Municipal Auditorium in October 1976 as part of the P-Funk Earth Tour. The 10-piece band was on the road in support of the Parliament album Mothership Connection, which had arrived a year prior, and Clinton had envisioned his own “funk opera.” With the help of theatrical stage designer Jules Fisher and set designer Peter Larkin, the 1,200-pound Mothership came to life and was used as a vessel for Clinton’s alter-ego, Dr. Funkenstein, who would emerge from the ship in all his psychedelic glory. The updated version, which Clinton recently inspected in Nashville, where it was built, is almost an exact replica of the original, but with modern technology and lighter materials.
Over the last 50 years, Clinton has evolved with the times, riding the waves of doo-wop, Motown, rock ’n roll, psychedelic rock, experimental jazz, hip-hop and everything in between. The fact he’s made it to 84 years old (he’ll be 85 on July 22) is arguably the most incredible feat he’s ever pulled off. Clinton funked around—and he funked hard.
