Fifty years ago, George Clinton released the landmark album Mothership Connection with his group Parliament. Recorded in Detroit’s United Sound Studios, the album took Clinton’s funk rock into a sci-fi Afrofuturist direction with a 1976 tour that featured an iconic mothership UFO stage prop, a replica of which is preserved at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Now, the mothership is set to land at the Detroit Opera House for a one-off concert with the Detroit Opera Orchestra. Set for 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, what is being billed as “Symphonic PFunk: Celebrating The Music of Parliament Funkadelic” will see the music of Clinton performed for the first time by a full orchestra led by Ray Chew and featuring special guests.
“In Detroit, Clinton and his special guests will offer audiences a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear Clinton’s songbook as never before: part concert, part spectacle, melding Clinton’s P-Funk raw energy with the grandeur of a full orchestra,” organizers say in a press release.
Ticket presales begin at noon Sept. 9 with public sales starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12.
VIP packages include a meet-and-greet with Clinton as well as “Mothership Box Experience” for $3,600, up to 12 guests or individual seats for $349. The package includes premium seating in a shared opera box with early entry, dedicated cocktail service, a commemorative show poster, and more.
Original artwork by Clinton will also be available to purchase at the event.
Originally a doo-wop group, the Parliamenets initially came to Detroit from Plainfield, New Jersey to audition for Motown Records. It was eventually forced to change its name to Funkadelic, and later it settled on Parliament-Funkadelic, a sprawling collective of multiple musicians led by Clinton, now 84.
The Detroit Opera House is located at 1526 Broadway St., Detroit. Tickets and more information are available at detroitopera.org.
Symphonic PFunk: Celebrating The Music of Parliament Funkadelic
Time Sat., Jan. 31, 8 p.m.
Location Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St., Detroit