George Clinton Announces Farewell Tour With Parliament Funkadelic

Scott Legato / RockStarProPhotography.com – George Clinton
George Clinton And Parliament Funkadelic plays Soundboard @ MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit March 8.

George Clinton announced his farewell tour with Parliament Funkadelic on Tuesday, culminating a half-century of music-making.

The One Nation Under a Groove Tour thuskicks off May 30 at Milwaukee’s Miller High Life Theatre and concludes Aug. 18 at Las Vegas’ Brooklyn Bowl. The title is a nod to Funkadelic’s 1978 album One Nation Under a Groove, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. Galactic, Dumpstaphunk, Fishbone and Miss Velvet & The Blue Wolf will provide support.

Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic have several other dates on the books before the One Nation Under a Groove Tour begins, including opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their Australian tour this month and performances in Hawaii, Australia and Japan in April.

The 77-year-old Clinton announced his impending retirement last year. “This has been coming a long time,” he said. “Anyone who has been to the shows over the past couple of years has noticed that I’ve been out front less and less. Truth be told, it’s never really been about me. It’s always been about the music and the band. That’s the real P-Funk legacy. They’ll still be funkin’ long after I stop.”

Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic still draw well at the box office. Over the last three years, the iconic funk ensemble has sold an average of 1,066 tickets for an average gross of $40,837. But they’ll be headlining bigger rooms on their upcoming tour.

For example, Clinton and P-Funk’s January 2018 show at Chicago’s Thalia Hall sold 933 tickets — a sell-out — and grossed $45,352. On May 31, they’ll play the Windy City’s Aragon Ballroom, which holds five times as many people as Thalia Hall. After selling 1,000 tickets for their October 20178 show at Los Angeles’ Union Nightclub, the group will headline the city’s Greek Theatre, which typicall holds well over 5,000, on Aug. 2.

“We had been kicking this idea around for a long time” Clinton’s agent, UAA’s Nick Szatmari, said in a statement. “It just felt organic and authentic, especially with the current social climate and the powers that be trying to divide everyone; it has always been a call for unity and togetherness through music. When George announced his retirement it just all clicked.”

But before embarking on any of his 2019 touring, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has another noteworthy appearance on the books — at Pollstar Live! next week. “My career’s not ending,” Clinton told Pollstar. “I’m just going to lay back and do music, cartoons, movies and other things. The band is still kicking. For the last three years my family’s been up there with the band doing all the old songs, the funk, the brand new funk like Kendrick Lamar and Flying Lotus and stuff like that.” Clinton will appear in conversation on Feb. 12.

Tickets for most dates of the One Nation Under a Groove Tour go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time. Find Clinton and P-Funk’s itinerary below.

ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE TOUR DATES – ONSALE FEB 8 @ 10AM UNLESS NOTED

Thu 5/30/19
Milwaukee, WI
Miller High Life Theatre

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Galactic, Fishbone, Miss Velvet & The Blue
Wolf

Fri 5/31/19
Chicago, IL
Aragon Ballroom

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Galactic, Fishbone, Miss Velvet & The Blue
Wolf

Sat 6/1/19
Cincinnati, OH
Riverfront Live

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Galactic, Fishbone, Miss Velvet & The Blue
Wolf

Tue 6/4/19
New York, NY
Central Park Summerstage