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Kick Out the Jams

Kool and the Gang at the Silverton, Jan. 30

When confronted with the depressing reality of Kool and the Gang circa 2004, it takes a mammoth effort to recall that Robert "Kool" Bell and his so-called "Gang" were once cool in more than name only. It was the early '70s, and Kool and the Gang were tearing the roof off with the low-down, filthy thump of "Jungle Boogie," "Funky Stuff" and "Hollywood Swinging"--a bass-in-yo'-face, brass-in-yo'-ass joint that would be recycled in DJ Kool's "Let Me Clear My Throat" and P-Diddy protege Mase's "Feels So Good."

But as with most stories that begin in that ill-fated era, the Kool and the Gang saga--or at least the cool part of it--came to a crashing halt with disco. Like the Commodores, Brothers Johnson and KC and the Sunshine Band, Kool and the Gang succumbed to the dance-pop demand of the polyester age, releasing an endless series of funk-free adult-contemporary singles.

Thus, it's only fitting that last Friday the Silverton's stage was outfitted with a grossly oversized disco ball. Dangling over Kool and the Gang like a swollen sword of Damocles, the mirrored globe sprung to life as the band broke into the watered-down synth-funk of "Fresh"--a song that by all rights should have been the theme to every feminine products commercial produced during the last two decades ("She's fresh--fresh!--exciting/ She's so inviting to me"). In response, the underwhelmed crowd--which greeted the group with a standing ovation--took their seats and remained sedentary through the dog-whistle harmonies of "Joanna."

Fortunately, after a fruitless search for the "party people in the house," Kool and the Gang resolved to kick it old-school, busting out capable renditions of "Hollywood Swinging," "Ladies Night" and "Get Down on It." By set's end, most of the folk were on their feet, waving their hands and working their denim-wrapped hips. Still, something was missing. It was a good time for sure, but it wasn't a celebration--not until Kool and the Gang's inevitable encore. As the disco ball exploded in a corona of synthetic radiance, the band collectively declared, "There's a party going on right here/ A celebration to last throughout the years." Apparently, no one told them that the party ended 25 years ago.--Newt Briggs