James Brown averting a riot onstage. Live at the Boston Garden. April 5, 1968. from James Brown: I'm Alright

  • 11 years ago
James Brown. A clip from the documentary, "The Night James Brown Saved Boston", features band members Marva Whitney and Fred Wesley remembering the night of the live performance at the Boston Garden on April 5, 1968, the fear and the danger.
In the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination by James Earl Ray on April 4, 1968, rioting broke out in cities across the country. James Brown had been scheduled to perform at the Boston Garden on April 5th. Boston Mayor Kevin White had initially wanted to cancel all public events, including James Brown's show. As there was concern that the cancellation of the show might cause an escalation of the crisis. it was agreed that James Brown's show would go on. The show, one of the greatest in Boston's history, went on and the city of Boston remained relatively calm. James Brown consoled his mourning audience, dedicated the show to the memory of Dr. King and was instrumental in keeping the peace on the streets of Boston.
Fans rushed the stage in the middle of live performance and the police moved onstage to remove them. James Brown stood between the police and the stage crashers and immediately took control of what could have been a riotous moment in light of the raw emotions of the Black community and the tenuous relationship with the police. James Brown addresses the audience asking if he can finish the show, with the infamous words, "We are Black. Don't make us all look bad." He was asking for "respect from my own people."

Video transcript:
Marva Whitney: I was on the side and I was a little nervous. I was praying, please don't let anything happen. The whole stage from the left to the right was lined up with policemen. We were afraid for him because he wasn't scared of anything.

[Playing song] wait a minute, I will be fine.

Fred Wesley: He knew that a riot could erupt, you know and he didn't want that to happen and any more than I did any body else.

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