Spring Fling 2002 just got funked up.
The Social Planning and Events Committee announced yesterday that legendary funk musicians George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars will be headlining the annual Hill Field concert on April 12.
Clinton will round out a four-band line-up, taking the stage after performances by ska-punk group Lucky Boys Confusion, critically acclaimed solo artist Pete Yorn and hip-hop trio De La Soul.
SPEC had announced last week that De La Soul would be performing at this year's Fling.
"At this point, [De La Soul is] the main act," SPEC Concerts Co-Director Kirk Freeman said at the time.
The Daily Pennsylvanian reported last Thursday that according to several Web sites, Yorn and Lucky Boys Confusion were slated to play Fling, although SPEC representatives would not confirm this at the time.
This year's show will be significantly different from the past two years, at which just two bands performed.
"I'm happy about how the Concerts Committee has gone forward with the Fling concert," SPEC President Kevin Meyers said. "The way they've dealt with the artists in the situation has been very professional."
Clinton began his musical career in t he late 1960s and gained popularity in the 1970s when he led the legendary funk group Parliament/Funkadelic. Clinton, who is famous for the hit singles "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off)," "Atomic Dog" and "Flashlight" was introduced to a new generation of fans in the cult hit movie PCU.
In addition to Clinton's own successful musical history, the funk star has also been influential on countless other artists' work. In recent years many rappers -- most notably Snoop Dogg -- have taken background music from the band.
Many students applauded the selection of Clinton for the Fling show. According to some, the addition of Clinton and his legendary status to the lineup takes the Spring Fling concert up a notch.
"I think it is great that they are getting someone who is really established and has been around for a long time, rather than just the latest pop star to sell a lot of albums," College junior Josh Kaplan said.
While Clinton's reputation and status is one draw, another is his commanding stage presence. The performer has been seen on stage in long, colored dreadlocks, oversized hats and glasses and shiny, gold jewelry. He uses almost every musical medium, from vocals to horns to guitar, and sometimes plays for hours on end.
"I'm really psyched about George Clinton," College junior Bill Snyder said. "When they played up at Electric Factory, it went up until three in the morning. It's just a big party."
This will not be the first time Clinton brings his stage show to Penn's campus.
Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars also headlined the Spring Fling concert in 1995, playing along with the Roots, Sonic Youth and The Samples. That concert played to a crowd of 5,200 students and guests, and that year's Fling Co-Director, Gil Beverly, called the performance "unreal."
Clinton and his band will be wrapping up the show this year.
De La Soul's old-school hip-hop songs, including "Me Myself and I," have some students anticipating their performance, while Pete Yorn's music has a following with a noticeable presence at Penn. Yorn had a hit single earlier this year with "Life on a Chain," off of his first major label CD entitled musicforthemorningafter.
"I'm really interested in seeing Pete Yorn," 2001 College alumnus Sona Nankani said. "He's just got a really nice, unpolished and unpretentious sound. But I don't know if he fits with the other bands."
Whether the bands "fit" or not, hundreds of Penn students are likely to flock to the concert, which is usually the highlight of Fling.
The gates will open at 6 p.m., and the festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold on Locust Walk and through Ticketmaster beginning April 1. Tickets will cost $15 for PennCard holders and $20 for guests in advance of the show and are $5 more expensive at the door.
