George Clinton To Headline Essence Festival of Culture

Fifty years after it first touched down in New Orleans, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic will bring the legendary Mothership stage show back to the city where history was made, closing out the Essence Festival of Culture on July 5.

The 84-year-old Clinton remains a commanding presence on stage with his authentic funk-fueled charisma. The Essence Festival of Culture has a reputation for showcasing the icons of Black music and culture providing a singular opportunity for Clinton to honor his past, celebrate the present and give fans a glimpse of what’s next. 

Originally designed by lighting visionary Jules Fisher for the 1976 P-Funk Earth Tour, the physical Mothership descended from arena ceilings with Clinton emerging as Dr. Funkenstein, which had an immediate punch and lasting impact on live concert production. The original spacecraft now resides in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, cementing its place as an artifact of American cultural history.

A new and technologically advanced version of the Mothership is being constructed at the renowned Rock Lititz production campus in Nashville. The Essence Festival of Culture performance will mark the debut of the new ship as Clinton prepares to take the spectacle on tour around the world.

Chew Entertainment, the New Jersey-based cultural consultancy led by longtime collaborator Vivian Scott Chew, is producing this historic landing.

The album T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The Awesome Power of A Fully Operational Mothership) was released in conjunction with the 1996 Mothership landing in Central Park, an iconic cultural event Chew helped bring to life and she was instrumental in forging this latest partnership with Essence – uniting history, performance and purpose on one of the world’s most culturally significant stages. Chew is joined by David Rodriguez, Executive Producer at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, whose collaboration is vital to executing this ambitious celebration.

“To celebrate George in New Orleans, where the Mothership first touched down, is a beautiful full-circle moment,” stated Chew in the announcement. “The weekend will be about more than music – it’s about community, legacy and making space for the next generation to carry the funk forward.”

Clinton’s impact spans generations and genres, influencing artists from the West Coast G-funk of Dr. Dre, Snoop and Ice Cube to Outkast, Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monáe. A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame and Hollywood Walk of Fame, Clinton continues to shape the evolution of Black music and culture.