James Brown was one of the most exciting acts to see live. When I was a freshman in college, one of my friends and I traveled to NY a day early to catch two concerts -- The Beach Boys at Fordham U. (yes, Brian Wilson was still performing, I'm that old and Noel Harrison opened for them) and James Brown (Lou Christie opened) at Madison Square Garden (still on 54th, they hadn't razed Penn Station yet). I couldn't believe the energy he projected; it was an incredibly long show and he was "on" the whole time! I was still relatively shy, so she dragged me by the hand from our seats in the nosebleed section to the arena level and we pushed through the crowds of people in order to shake his hand as he worked the crowds during his performance. Up close I could see that he was so hot that the sweat was beading and dripping down his face. The sounds that he produced could be produced by no one else, and everyone in his group was working, working, working. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
