Funk gods deliver “Get Down on it,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Ladies’ Night” and, of course, “Celebration”
Thirty years after first being eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, funk gods Kool & the Gang were finally inducted at a ceremony in Cleveland on Saturday night. The group that wrote “Celebration” naturally was one of the most exuberant performers of the night, drawing from both the 1970s and Eighties to deliver a hits-laden set.
Robert “Kool” Bell, the group’s co-founder, opened the medley by taking center stage for “Hollywood Swinging” before vocalist James “JT” Taylor appeared for their 1981 smash “Get Down on It.” Taylor and Bell almost never perform together anymore, so to watch the interplay of the two was as exhilarating as it was rare.
Backed by a massive horn section, Questlove on drums, and a…
