San Diego Street Scene San Diego is to SoCal what the Mardi Gras is to the South. It's one big, blazin' block party set to multi-cultural music, multi-ethnic food, and, of course, multi-colored cocktails. This year's three-day fest featured the best of the new and old in every conceivable genre, from ska faves the Specials to straight-edge rockers George Thoroughgood and the Destroyers. We hit the Street Scene Saturday night about 5 p.m., just in time to catch Soulive, a funky, jazzy New York quartet that features an outstanding keyboardist. They jammed on the Ford stage playing a mix of their own and several well-chosen cover tunes, including a few selects by Stevie Wonder. They had the crowd movin' and slow groovin' and definitely hungry for more. This band emits a very cool vibe and, with their original spin on 70s style funk, are an act you should try to catch. After mellowing in to the scene with the sultry Soulive, we meandered on over to the martini bar where we found apple and cosmo martinis fresh for the pouring. We poured down a couple and then set out to scope the sites. The scents and smells of the Street Scene reminded me of Asia, so many flavours and odors wafting together. Indian curries, Thai spices, Greek gyros coupling with good old fashioned hot links and burgers. The tip is to get here early evening before the lines get unbearably long, wash down a few tasty vittles, and sample the libations while checking out some of the lesser-known bands. And that's just what we did! Just around the corner from the martini bar we found something else that reminded me of Asia that no street fair should be without: the mandatory Elvis impersonator! He was a perfect one, imitating the Aloha via Satellite days (daze), and had dozens of palpitating gals lined up to receive Mardi Gras beads and touch his sweaty towel. Of course, Frank made me get in line for the beads, only to be shut out at the last minute when he decided it was time to take a set break. Quelle horreur! Dissed by an Elvis impersonator! I may never get over it! After such trauma, more cocktails were in order. We headed for the wine tasting bar next and sampled California's best. It was then time to head back to the Mardi Gras stage near the entrance for the one and only Eric Burden-this time playing with the New Animals. I've seen Eric a few times before and have always been totally blown away by this guy's voice but Frank had never seen him so I knew he was in for a real treat. We both grew up with our sisters listening to all of the psychedelic 60s tunes so Burden's songs evoke deep nostalgia. The crowd was mainly folks of my sisters' ages-the flower children, all grown up, bringing their teenagers to experience the music that turned them on and started all of the stuff we dig on today. Though most don't realize it, Eric Burden was a ground-breaking musician, penning and singing the rebel anthems of his day. He was a punk before punk rock and preached the anti-establishment creed with fire and gusto. And he still does! Opening with House of the Rising Sun, the band played all their big hits and sounded simply great. War's percussionist sat in, kicking out the jams on such great tunes as Spill the Wine and Sky Pilot. One forgets that Burden wrote all these classic songs but those in the crowd certainly didn't-everyone sang along, with feeling-and knew all the words! The band played for about an hour and did one encore. After urging the audience to keep questioning authority and enjoy every single minute of life on their own terms, Burden closed the show with We Gotta Get Outta This Place. No one wanted him to stop but the scene must go on, so on it went... By this time the place was packed. We could barely negotiate the streets, now crammed with half-drunken people dancing and screaming. We pushed our way through the crowd and into the mayhem surrounding the Blockbuster Stage, the largest of the venues here. Los Lobos was just starting so we pushed our way to the front to get pictures. These guys put on a very impressive set, singing mostly in Spanish to a very appreciative crowd. This is Los Lobos territory and they clearly owned the turf. I've never seen a band rock out with accordions before and they really took that idea and ran with it. Very tight, very live, very cool. After Los Lobos it was time for the headliner and the main reason why we were at the Street Scene: to witness the one and only George Clinton. If you've never seen him before, George Clinton is more of an experience than a concert. His band-Parliament remnants-is comprised of about 20 people, plus all of his backstage entourage who take turns coming out to perform and sing. It's a spectacle, on par with James Brown, but with a groove all its own. After waiting way too long, anticipation building so high the crowd was beginning to get seriously pissy, George finally emerged from the shadows looking like the grand wizard from Fantasia presiding over his minions, ready to get busy. Dressed in a long robe with an Arm and Hammer Baking Soda logo on the front and sporting his trademark colored dreadlocks, George quickly turned the pissy onlookers into instant groupies. The sea of fans writhed and pulsated, funking out in every way. Impossible to stand still listening to George, even the whitest of whities was hoppin' and gyrating to We Got the Funk and singin' along. Contortionists and go-go girls competed with the bomb band and George himself for attention, as back-up singers and soloists took turns belting out their additions to the continuous jam session. Humpty Hump from the legendary Digital Underground came out and rapped to a number, along with George, setting the crowd on fire, but it was the show-stopping version of Dog Catcher that blew the roof off the open-air venue. A parade of girls and guys took turns doing the dog with George and the band raged on. It was about a 30-minute version of that song and it truly turned that mutha out! Midnight was upon us and so the tunes had to come to an end. My ears were ringin', my feet a-stingin', but I was on Cloud 9-high on music, the best intoxicant of them all! Street Scene San Diego occurs the second weekend of September every year and costs about $30 per day. Held in the historic Gas Lamp District, it is a festival that rivals any, and traditionally showcases some of the best talent in the world. To find out next year's acts or to book advance tickets, contact their web site: www.street-scene.com. -d