George Clinton concert

Most of all we need the funk.
And trust me, last night I got all the funk I needed when George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic landed in Charlotte.

Clint and the P-Funk mob (all 14 of them) jammed for about three hours on a small stage at the Neighborhood Theatre in the North Davidson district, or NoDa as we call it in the Queen City.

First, they told us to free our minds and our (butts) would follow. Harken back to 1975 when they first landed the Mothership. And many in the crowd did there best. I could tell by the smell of whatever they were puffing and passing.

There was a mix of eclectic NoDa regulars and out-of-town funkateers, who knew every word to every song. Some of them knew the names of all the band members, even the relatively new ones, like the guy dressed as Sir Nose. He had ripped abs, so I’m guessing he was in diapers when the original Sir Nose was introduced in the ‘70s.

And speaking of diapers, yes Gary Shider (Clint’s right-hand man) still wears one on stage. Gary, you know you’re my dog, but when you’re almost 60, it’s not a diaper. It’s a Depends. (That line brought to you by editor Glenn Burkins).

But he’s just as funky as he ever was on guitar and vocals. They all were.

The group, which had 13 top ten hits between 1967 and 1983, played some of everything: "Flashlight," "Funkentelecky," "Cosmic Slop," "Maggot Brain," "Atomic Dog," "Knee Deep."
The songs went on and on. Just when you thought it was the finale (they played every song like a finale) they’d strike a familiar chord, and the fans would go nuts again.

Clint, who is 67, still has his stage legs. He must be taking good care of himself, maybe even gave up smoking. Then the joint made its way on stage.
Guess not.

Time to party (Wish I could dance)

OK, the CIAA Tournament finally is in full swing.
The arena seats are filling up, alums are reuniting, steppers are stepping and vendors and vending.
Now it’s time for me to party.
Quick, somebody teach me the latest dance so I won’t have to do the rock-from-side-to-side move the whole weekend.
Like many of you, I haven’t been to a dance party since last year’s tournament, unless you include a Charlotte Observer’s Christmas party, where I showed up and did the water sprinkler dance.
But with the lineup of parties I’ve been assigned to cover, I’m going to shake my tailfeathers till they ruffle.
Thursday, it was George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic at the Neighborhood Theater.
Tonight, R. Kelly at Backstage Nite Club, Biz Markie at HOM and Doug E. Fresh at the Hilton Center City.
I was planning to check out Jermaine Dupri’s party at Jillian’s, but a guy at the arena handed me a flier for a Keith Sweat party at Woods on South Boulevard.
The guy had a great sales pitch: "Keith Sweat is $10 if you get there before 10."
Sorry, Jermaine.
Y’all know what I’m talking about. I’ve heard you complaining about the cost of some of these parties, too.
I like the "Day Parties" but even those are expensive. A friend of mine defines day party as a party before the police come out.
We attended one last year (I won’t say where) that charged $20 and they didn’t even have hors d’oeuvres.
The night parties cost $30, some $40, even $60 to hang out with the celebrity hosts.
For instance, Floyd Mayweather’s party at Jillian’s Thursday cost $30. For VIP advance tickets it was $75. I don’t know about you, but for $75 I want to see Floyd hit somebody, even if it’s just one of the guests.
Come to think of it, if you read the fine print, the flier I have never says Keith Sweat is actually singing at his party, either.

Can today's games top Wednesday's?

If you missed Wednesday's games, you missed some really good drama play out.

In the 7 p.m. game, Virginia State beat St. Paul's at the buzzer when Jamar Fleming hoisted a 30-footer that banked in for a 57-54 win.

Then in the 9 p.m. game, Shaw shot 72 percent in the second half to upset Livingstone, 74-60. It was Shaw's first postseason victory since 2002.

If tonight's games are half as exciting, we're in for great CIAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Tonight's lineup:
(No. 3) Elizabeth City vs. (No. 6) Fayetteville State, 1 p.m.
(No. 1) Virginia Union vs. (No. 8) Virginia State, 3 p.m.
(No. 4) J.C. Smith vs. (No. 5) St. Augustine's, 7 p.m.
(No. 2) Bowie State vs. (No. 10) Shaw, 9 p.m.

Barry, it's cold outside

Great, it's 9 a.m. on Day 3 of the CIAA Tournament and there are snow flurries over here in northwest Charlotte.

Did this cold spell have to hit in the middle of the tournament? Wednesday is suppose to be cold and windy. Thursday even colder. Throw in some scattered showers later in the week and some of us are gonna have to change outfits at least two or three more times a day.

I mean, it's hard enough planning what to wear to the CIAA parties when the weather's mild. But if you're a true fan, I guess the cold is just another reason to accessorize. Grab a scarf and matching hat, and you're set.

With that in mind, I wonder what my friend Barry Anderson is going to do now. We were just talking the other day about his wardrobe plans for the week. This year Barry's not spending too much on clothes. You know, gas prices and the economy and all, he says.

One day it'll be jeans, a nice blazer and some cowboy boots. The next day, maybe this pin-striped suit he got for a bargain at Value City. What kind of shoes with the suit, Stacy Adams?

"Nah, I'm not old enough for Stacys yet. That's old school," says Barry, who's 37 and looking at me like he thinks I own a pair. "I'm wearing some Cole Hahns."

Oh well, I just looked outside again and noticed the snow has stopped and the sun is out. Things are looking up. I guess I can throw the snow boots back in the closet and put on my Stacys.

Gloomy day brightened by old friends

The day started out gloomy, usually a bad sign for attendance, especially on the second day of the CIAA women's tournment.

But the rain stopped by late morning and the few early fans - mostly locals - started filing in for the games.

And for me it was like old home week already. Out of about a thousand people, I knew a bunch of them.

First, I ran into my friend and Down East homey Ellie Howard on the concourse. I'm from Rocky Mount and he's from nearby Murfreesboro, home to Chowan University, whose football team will join the CIAA next year. He was with his friend Reggie McKinney, a local bail bondsman. Let me get your card, Reggie. You just never know.

Then I saw my 7th-grade guidance counselor Betty Payne, a Fayetteville State grad. She's also one of my mother's best friends. She was with her friend Althea Rudrow, a J.C. Smith grad. Ms. Payned wanted me to put a good word in for Fayetteville State's women, who beat St. Augustine's. "We don't get much coverage around here."

Then there's Cornelia Curry, JCSU class of 63, and Constance Sims, class of 64. I know them from the McCrorey YMCA, my home away from home.

If Tuesday was any indication of what the week's going to be like, I can't wait for the crowds really start coming in.

The CIAA tournament starts today (See Brackets)

Hey, CIAA fans. Welcome back to Charlotte.

Today kicks off the CIAA Tournament's third straight year in the Queen City, and it's going to be here at least three more years. I couldn't be more excited. I know you are too because many of you have let me know through emails and comments on this blog over the past month leading up to the tournament.

I can't wait to hit some of the parties and check out this year's lineup of recording artists like R.Kelly, CeCe Winans, Bow Wow and Omarion. I mean, where else could you catch entertainment like this in one three-day span?

But I'm just as excited about the games. You should be too, because that's what brought us all here. So enjoy yourselves at all the various entertainment venuse, but by all means, please go support your teams too. In fact, here's a breakdown of who's playing and when. Enjoy!

Women's Tournament
Monday, February 25
(7) Elizabeth City State University vs (10) Virginia Union University 7:00pm
(8) Livingstone College vs (9) Virginia State University 9:00pm
Tuesday, February 26
(4) St. Augustine's College vs (5) Fayetteville State University 1:00pm
Winner of ECSU/VUU vs (2) Bowie State University 3:00pm
Winner of LC/VSU vs (1) Shaw University 7:00pm
(6) St. Paul's College vs (3) Johnson C. Smith University 9:00pm
Friday, February 29
Winner of SAC/FSU vs Winner of 7:00pm game 1:00pm
Winner of 3:00pm game vs Winner of SPC/JCSU 3:00pm
Saturday, March 1
Women's Championship Game 5:00pm

Men's Tournament
Wednesday, February 27
(8) Virginia State University vs (9) St. Paul's College 7:00pm
(7) Livingstone College vs (10) Shaw University 9:00pm
Thursday, February 28
(6) Fayetteville State University vs (3) Elizabeth City State University 1:00pm
Winner of VSU/SPC vs (1) Virginia Union University 3:00pm
(4) Johnson C. Smith University vs (5) St. Augustine's College 7:00pm
Winner of LC/SU vs (2) Bowie State University 9:00pm
Friday, February 29
Winner of 9:00pm game vs Winnder of FSU/ECSU 7:00pm
Winner of JCSU/SAC vs Winner of 3:00pm game 9:00pm
Saturday, March 1
Men's Championship Game 8:00pm

All CIAA Basketball Teams announced

Men's All-CIAA Basketball Team:
Joshua Johnson, Sr. forward, Bowie State
David Paris, Sr. center, Bowie State
Anthony Hilliard, Jr. forward, Elizabeth City
Jerry Hollis, Soph. forward, J.C. Smith
Damola Obadina, Sr. forward, Shaw
Brad Byerson, Sr. forward, Virginia Union
Phillippe' Harris, Sr. guard, Fayetteville State
Andy Gebru, Jr. guard, Fayetteville State
Maurice Hooper, Sr. guard, J.C. Smith
William Gill, Jr. guard, St. Augustine's
Trey Mines, Soph. guard, Virginia State

Women's All-CIAA Basketball Team:
Markeya Watson, Jr. forward, Bowie State
Allyson Swailes, Sr. forward, Bowie State
Celeste Trayan, Sr. center, Elizabeth City
Kyria Buford, Soph. forward, J.C. Smith
Rochelle Bodie, Sr. forward, J.C. Smith
Nicky Souter, Sr. forward, Shaw
Katchona Johnson, Sr. forward, Virginia Union
Bianca Lee, Soph. guard, Bowie State
Leticia Dickson, Sr. guard, Fayetteville State
Ashley Chase, Sr. guard, J.C. Smith
Jamie Goshen, Sr. guard, Shaw
Katania Walker, Jr. guard, Virginia Union

CIAA Players of the Year

The CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Coaches Associations have selected the honorees of the 2008 All-CIAA Teams and Players of the Year.

This year's Players of the Year hail from the same institution, Elizabeth City State University. Celeste Trahan and Anthony Hilliard will mark the third Player of the Year duo in CIAA history to claim the title in the same year; and a first for ECSU. (Previous years: 1995 Norfolk State and 2005 Bowie State) This also marks Trahan's second year in a row as CIAA Player of the Year.

Both Trahan and Hilliard lead the conference in scoring (23.7ppg/20.1ppg), total rebounding (15.9rpg/11.9rpg) and defensive rebounding (11.1rpg/8.5rpg). Trahan, who broke ground this season as the first NCAA Division II women's basketball student-athlete to score 2,000 career points and 2,000 career rebounds, is also the 2008 CIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Celeste leads the conference in rebounding (15.9rpg), blocked shots (2.13pg), defensive (4.7rpg) and offensive rebounds (11.1rpg).

The 2008 Men's Defensive Player of the Year, Brad Byerson hails from Virginia Union University. Byerson currently ranks second in the conference in rebounding with 8.0rpg and third in blocked shots with a 1.25 avg. Not only is he a dominant defensive player, he shows versatility, ranking third in the conference in scoring, 16.8ppg.

The All-CIAA Teams and Players of the Year will be honored at the Women's and Men's Tip-Off Banquets on February 24th and 26th, respectively, in Charlotte.

CIAA tickets and parking pass for sale

I have 1 booklet of tickets, section 221, Row L, Seat 18 for sale for $125.00. This is for the whole tournament Monday-Saturday. I can be reached at rlewis555@carolina.rr.com or 704-248-1376
Ronald

Mr. Hart,
Please post that I have two CiAA Basketball Tournament Books for sale. Each priced at $225. The seats are in Section 117, terrific floor views. I can be reached at williamjsin@aol.com and 703-981-0585.
Jay

And here's a reader offering a parking pass:
I have a parking card for an uptown parking deck that can be used for $100 for the week with a $20 deposit.
I can be contacted at d_greenhouse@hotmail.com or 704-779-4261.

Any others with tickets or parking passes for sale, post them in the comments section below or email me at khart@charlotteobserver.com

JCSU vs. Shaw women on Fox Sports

Hey, CIAA fans. Check out the Johnson C. Smith women vs. Shaw on television Saturday, February 16. It will be televised on CSTV and Fox Sports Net. Time Warner Cable subscribers in the Charlotte area can turn to channel 40 (Fox Sports) or channel 139 (CSTV) to watch the game. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:05 p.m.

Use the following link to watch the game live via the internet.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH GAME LIVE!

Townhome, room for rent during CIAA

If you can't a find a hotel rate to your liking or you'd just rather stay at a house or condo, a couple of readers offer these options:

I live in a towmhome on the eastside of charlotte not far from uptown, and if anyone is interested in renting a room i have one for rent for the week of ciaa conference, i can be contacted at 704-713-8587.

Hi Kelvin,
My name is LaTasha and I’m new to Charlotte. This will be my first CIAA, pretty excited. Wanted to let you know that if you know of anyone looking for a place RIGHT uptown, I’ve got a townhome available for $375/night. It can accomodate up to four people. It’s on Fifth and Poplar, really nice. lcartersolo@yahoo.com

From Ice:
I live in charlotte and I have a house that I rent out normally but will be using to house tournament watchers, I still have room left. If more people would come up with alternative living arangements for each others maybe hotels would lower their prices based on the new competition.919-491-5566

If anyone else has homes, apartments or rooms to rent, put your contact info in the comments section below or email me at khart@charlotteobserver.com

Hotel rates an issue already

As the CIAA draws near, the price of hotels always goes up. But one curious reader has checked into whether the prices are up higher for CIAA week than they will be for the ACC tournament. The ACC tournament is actually March 13-16, so the rates he or she checked for March 5-9 are not comparable. But it would be interesting to see if the rates are lower during the ACC tournament. Hmmm

Hello Mr. Hart:
A conversation about hotels raising their prices during the CIAA sparked a debate on whether hotels have a right to raise their rates when an influx of people are visiting Charlotte.

Which brought up the question whether the hotels would charge more during CIAA weekend than they would during the ACC weekend.

My curiosity peaked, so I did some research by performing an internet search of hotel rates from Wednesday, February 27 through Sunday, May 2nd and compared them with hotel rates from Wednesday, March 5th through Sunday, March 9th.

Many of the hotels were already sold out CIAA weekend, however, two hotels (Doubletree-Gateway and Hilton Executive Park) had availability and the rates for CIAA were drastically higher ($100-$150).

This result makes me wonder what pricing has already been sold to CIAA attendees. I called the Doubletree and their first response was that it's a longer stay; when I clarified the hotel stay was for the same days and same amount of days; I was referred to the voicemail of the Sales Office.

Is it price gouging?

Anonymous

JCSU men and women win

Men
The Golden Bulls ran their winning streak to three games Tuesday with
an 85-57 CIAA win against Virginia State at Brayboy Gym to remain in
second place in the West Division behind St. Augustine’s. J.C. Smith
(14-7, 8-5) put together one of its best efforts of the season,
connecting on 63.5 percent of its shots, including a torrid season-
best 70.4 percent in the second half. Herb White

Women
Virginia State took an early five point lead over the Lady Golden Bulls but their efforts would not last long as JCSU pulled away late in the first half and never looked back en route to a 70-50 victory. JCSU’s record improved to 14-7, 10-3 in league play.
JCSU took a double-digit lead capitalizing on 19 Lady Trojan turnovers. The Bulls quickly turned that into 19 points. By the time the first half was over with, JCSU controlled a 13-point lead, 37-24. Kristene Kelly

JCSU vs Virginia State, 7:30 tonight

Johnson C. Smith takes on Virginia State tonight at 7:30 at Brayboy Gym. Smith has won its last 3 our of 4 games, including a win over perennial power Virginia Union.

The Golden Bulls' most recent win was an overtime victory Saturday against Livingstone. Virginia State is also coming off a win last Saturday against St. Paul's.

Rules for buying CIAA tickets TODAY

From JCSU

A limited number of ticket booklets for the CIAA basketball tournament will go on sale at Johnson C. Smith at 7 a.m., Friday, Feb. 1 at Brayboy Gym. Tickets must be purchased in person at the gymnasium or by calling one of four telephone numbers set up for ticket sales: (704) 378-1087, (704) 378-1278, (704) 378-1083, and (704) 378-1145. Once allotted tickets are sold, the telephone sales lines will be closed.

Ticket prices: $275; $175; $100; $50 (students).

These are the rules that will govern the orderly and timely sale of CIAA tickets. There will be no deviations from these rules during the sale process.

1. Access to the campus will be through the Martin Street entrance, with parking in the Jack S. Brayboy Gymnasium parking lot.
2. The gates will open at 5 a.m.
3. Security will oversee the formation of an orderly line outside the gymnasium.
4. The doors of the gymnasium will be opened at 7 a.m. Ticket sales will commence immediately thereafter.
5. The university will make available a limited number of tickets to purchase over the telephone. The university is not guaranteeing that calls will get through immediately because of the anticipated call volume. Please do not leave voicemails. You must speak with a person. The university will start taking telephone calls at the same time the gymnasium opens for walk in purchasers at 7 a.m. These tickets will be mailed to the purchaser for an additional fee to cover shipping and handling.
6. Once the allotted tickets for telephone sales are sold, the telephone lines will be immediately shut down.
7. Tickets to be sold at the Jack S. Brayboy Gymnasium will continue until all tickets are sold. Once all tickets are sold, the doors will close.
8. Student tickets will be sold in conjunction with the general public tickets. 9. Cash, credit cards and debit cards (with the Visa or Mastercard logos) will be the only accepted form of payment. No money orders, checks or bank drafts.
10. The university will not guarantee that seating will be together. Tickets that are on hand will be sold regardless of where the seating is located within the Bobcats Arena.