(OUTscene NW) Concert RE-view; It was 'Ladies Night' at Sno Casino and a Kool 'Celebration' with the Gang!

by MK Scott

Remembering back to New Year's Eve 1980, and watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, My strongest memory was the 'Celebration' of the new decade with the song, "Celebration" by the group, Kool and the Gang. 33 years later I am seeing this group and hearing this song!

Kool and the Gang played this past Friday at the Snoqualmie Casino near Seattle. The audience made up of mostly women and an over 40 crowd, stayed in their seats mostly during such hit Ballads as Cherish, Joanna, Fresh, and Misled, as well as their older funkier, Jungle Boogie and Hollywood Swinging.


The jazz, R&B, soul and funk group, originally formed in 1964 as the Jazziacs based in Jersey City, New Jersey.

They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and funk, progressing to a smooth pop-funk ensemble, and in the post-millennium creating music with a modern, electro-pop sound. They have sold over 70 million albums worldwide. I could easily compare them to another Pop group with a Brass section, a Black CHICAGO, or we could call CHICAGO the white, Kool and the Gang?

Mr. Kool (Robert Bell) Bassist and Founder of the group in 1964 was occasionally front and Center. His Brother, Ronald on Sax.

The new and younger Lead Singer, Shawn Mcquiller, was oozing with Sex appeal. 

The audience finally got up and started moving after Mcquiller wanted all the Ladies to come towards the stage. The songs got everyone moving was 1979's 'Ladies Night' and 1981's 'Get Down on It, and finally the encore of the biggest Hit, 'Celebration'. They said this was their first performance of 2013. I was reminded seeing their first performance on TV to welcome the new Decade. That is by far is a reason to 'Celebrate'.