When you create timeless music and happen to be responsible for laying the foundation of the almighty force known as funk, it doesn’t really matter if you have the original lineup together. The bottom line is, for anyone even slightly familiar with the Meters, any chance to catch even one of the members is a treat. At the Moody Theater on Saturday night we had two – Art Neville and the ever gracious George Porter Jr. In the first show back in Austin since 2013, the Funky Meters – as they have long went by – were joined by longtime collaborator Brian Stoltz on guitar and Terrence Houston on drums.
Getting the night started were a group of legends in their own right, fellow New Orleans natives the Rebirth Brass Band. Even more so than the Meters, Rebirth has been through numerous lineup changes in the course of their 32 years as a band. This hardly matters, because they possess the ability to bring the second line spirit to whatever stage they play on. On Saturday it didn’t matter that Mardi Gras had passed two weeks earlier because we had Rebirth to remind us that there’s nothing wrong with celebrating all year round. There’s no doubt that these Grammy winners stole the show with a performance that, while brief, reigned down on the audience with a relentless shower of brassy goodness. Few bands on earth can play in an arrangement like Rebirth Brass Band and manage to be so tight and professional, yet also exude that loose, jubilant spirit of their hometown.
The Funky Meters are sort of like an antique car these days. They may take a little time to get the engine going but once they’re up and running there’s no stopping them. The quartet chugged along through classics like “Fire On The Bayou”, “Love Slip Up On Ya” and “Cissy Strut.” With his thumping, bouncy bass, George Porter Jr. anchored the group, often stepping next to or behind Art Neville to provide a little support while he worked up the organ parts. Jamming got a littler looser at times but for the most part the band managed to stay locked within that funky groove, always in their famous pocket. At times they stumbled but the crowd kept right on dancing and each song came together in the end, showing that even in their elder years the original members of the Meters who play these days can still bring the funk like few others.
All photos by Arthur VanRooy.
