2 Street: Sweet Night, Sweet Song

"If you come to the 2 Street Festival and don't see anybody you know, then you don't have any friends!" the MC told the enormous crowd at the Waverly Crawley stage at 2nd and Marshall Streets tonight. Luckily for my ego, I'd already seen several people I knew as I ambled around the fried seafood-scented festival, admiring African art and goods.

Hizzoner the mayor was up next and he led us in a rah-rah session, instructing us to say Jackson Ward after everything he said. Maggie Walker! JW! Bill "Bojangles" Robinson! JW! First Consolidated Bank! JW! The Hippodrome Theater! JW! Harlem of the South! JW! You can be sure no one shouted louder than me.

Once we were all worked up, we were finally rewarded with what we'd come for: Con Funk Shun. The band has been around for 45 years, still boasts three of the original seven members and once toured with the likes of the Commodores and Bootsy's Rubber Band, back when funk ruled.

And it was ruling tonight as the dancing crowd sang along to most every song to one degree or another. Like all good 70s rhythm and blues, there was a big old bass line and plenty of horn action. Songs were meant for one of two things: either shaking your booty or sl-o-o-o-w dancing, if you know what I'm saying.

Guitarist Micheal Cooper said that the band has played Richmond 60, 70, maybe 80 times in the past 45 years and the people around me were testifying to that. Toward the end, the band even offered up a prayer for their long-running success, bringing on a chorus of amens afterwards.

If I had any complaints, it was with the boldness of some of the guys in the crowd. One drunk man apparently thought I wouldn't notice if he started rubbing my back; the first time I moved away, assuming it was unintentional, but the second time, I swung around and told him flat-out to stop touching me. He stared off into space and said, "How do you know it was me?" Right.

Another older guy asked if he could sit next to me and then proceeded to try to sit on my lap. I gave him the benefit of the doubt because it was dark and maybe he just couldn't see well until he tried a second time. Yeesh.

But they were just two out of hundreds of friendly, music-loving people who were there for some serious funk and old-school memories. When Con Funk Shun launched into "Love's Train/You Are the One" for the finale, there was a collective squeal from the crowd.

Cause you're never too old to want to be on love's train with the one. I'll testify to that.

Do I hear an amen?