Summer Concert Series: How James Brown Saved Boston (2008)

James Brown did an incredible concert on April 5, 1968 in Boston, the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. This was of course a very tense and emotional time for America and many feared that this concert would enact rioting and violence that might leave Boston in shambles or that someone might attempt to kill James Brown (who had vocally given respect to Dr. King). Mayor Kevin White saw this as a lose lose situation politicly. He felt could cancel the concert and be accused of discriminating against the black community, or he could do nothing and others would accuse him of allowing a riot. His solution was to televise the concert. This made James very angry as he would be losing a whole lot of money. This lead to a very tense experience for all involved, yet an incredible concert that was a landmark in musical history.

  The Night James Brown Saved Boston is an incredible look into this concert and the climate that created such a tension around it. This film has various very intelligent people intelligently discussing this period of time giving us a fresh and moving look into this tense and emotionally challenging time following a great tragedy in American history. It also gives insight into how James Brown felt about everything going on, as well how he was able to give an incredible performance with all that was going around this concert. Whether or not you are a fan of his music, there is no doubt James Brown had an incredible gift for entertaining an audience and to watch him on stage is like watching no one else. Watching the clips of him performing here are an incredible testament to how this man could control a stage and an audience like no other performer. This makes these clips a joy to watch for anyone regardless of musical taste.

-Michael J. Ruhland