Nearly 50 years after turning a sci-fi funk fantasy into one of music’s most unforgettable stage moments, George Clinton has brought the Mothership back to life.
The 84-year-old music icon unveiled a newly rebuilt version of the legendary spacecraft during Essence Music Festival in New Orleans on Sunday night, marking the third version of the famous stage prop that helped define the visual identity of Parliament-Funkadelic.
The dramatic return came roughly an hour into the band’s performance as they played “Mothership Connection (Star Child).” Bright lights, fog effects and extraterrestrial sounds filled the arena before the metallic craft slowly descended from above the stage.
Photo by Paras Griffin/WireImage
Moments later, Clinton emerged from the ship dressed in his trademark intergalactic style before launching into Parliament’s 1978 No. 1 hit, “Flash Light.”
The appearance marked a rare revival of one of the most famous stage productions in funk history and arrived almost five decades after “Flash Light” topped the charts.
Before the show, Clinton confirmed the updated Mothership closely follows the design of the original.
“It’s made from the same blueprint,” Clinton told Vibe. “It’s actually the same ship, made from the same blueprint as the first one.”
The funk legend said the new version was built in Nashville using lighter materials and modern technology while preserving the look that fans remember from the 1970s.
“It’s probably up to date with the lights for this era, but other than that, the ship looks the same,” he said, according to VIBE.
When asked about the original 1,200-pound structure, Clinton added: “It probably don’t, but it look like it do ‘cause they can do that with this technology now.”
The original Mothership first landed in 1976 during the P-Funk Earth Tour, shortly after Parliament released the groundbreaking album Mothership Connection in 1975.
Created with theatrical stage designer Jules Fisher and set designer Peter Larkin, the massive prop served as transportation for Clinton’s alter ego, Dr. Funkenstein, who would emerge from the spacecraft during performances surrounded by lights, smoke and pyrotechnics.
At the time, the production stood apart from nearly everything in popular music.
“Back in those days, in the early ‘70s, the only big, big, big prop was Pink Floyd,” Clinton said. “I always thought that’s where P-Funk should go. I wanted to have a ‘funk opera.'”
The original prop was eventually retired as transportation and maintenance costs increased. Clinton later revealed the first Mothership was sold and scrapped during the 1980s as he dealt with financial struggles and debt.
A second version arrived during the 1990s and was later placed on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
The latest version represents the third generation of the spacecraft and arrives as the original Mothership approaches its 50th anniversary. The funk pioneer added that the band had spent the last several years performing successfully without it.
For a performer whose influence stretches from funk and rock to hip-hop and G-funk, the return of the Mothership is another chapter in a career that continues to evolve decades after its biggest hits first reached listeners.
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