University of Virginia Library

Sly Makes Crowd
Forget Problems

By Bob Brown

Upon leaving University Hall on
Saturday night, most of those present
were confronted with two
basic facts.

First, Sly and The Family Stone,
presenting their own uninhibited
brand of self expression, gave a very
superlative performance and also
exposed the emotions of those fortunate
enough to get seats on the
floor.

Second, however, one noticed
the circumstances under which the
concert was performed. The Buddy
Miles Express, which was supposedly
co-featured, failed to
appear. A spokesman for the University
Union said that the Union
was looking into the reasons for
this failure. This caused the concern
to start 35 minutes late and it also
lasted only until 8:30, thus making
the promised two hour concert a
one hour show.

No Amplification

In addition, the amplification
system, which was provided by a
non- University source, was of noticeably
poor quality. The singers
were hard to hear and the tone
created by amplification left the
sounding fuzzy. This detracted
from the concert and one often had
to strain to hear the voices of the
singers.

Obviously, several things went
wrong, and it is these proverbial
"little things" that can make a
performance a fiasco or a success.

Superb Performance

That the concert was not a
fiasco is without a doubt due to the
superb performance of Sly and The
Family Stone. It was the sheer
exuberance and involvement of
their performance which made up
for any technical deficiencies. Sly
and his musical family were all
involved in the music to such an
extent that the audience also became
somewhat involved.

More Involved

Those closer to the stage seemed
to become more involved than
those sitting in the permanent
bleacher seats. This was especially
noticeable during the group song
"Higher."

While those on the floor eagerly
joined in and created an electric
scene, those in the bleachers remained
relatively withdrawn and
detached. It almost seemed as if
those in the bleachers were watching
two performances, that of the
audience on the floor and that of
the band itself with nearly equal scrutiny.

Exuberance

In addition to the group participation
song, the group played their
hits "Stand," "Everyday People,"
"Dance to the Music," and "Hot
Fun in the Summertime." It was
the exuberance of their personal
appearance, however, that made all
of the songs even greater than their
recording performances.

Definitely, Sly and the Family
Stone showed that they are a talented
group of musicians. Despite
the poor amplification and other
detrimental factors, their brilliance
was obvious. They had a definite
coherency and unity which transcended
and at the same time
emphasized the individual brilliance.
Because of this brilliance,
the concert was a success. It was a
success despite all the factors which
seemed to make it otherwise.