Tribute concert honors the night James Brown brought peace in Boston
BOSTON - A special tribute concert in Boston will recognize the night 56 years ago when James Brown brought peace to the city, one day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
The James Brown Saves Boston tribute concert will perform to a sold out crowd at the Strand Theater. The event recognizes an important moment in Boston's history.
"It actually kept people off the streets"
On April 5, 1968, just 24 hours after King was assassinated, Brown was already scheduled to perform at Boston Garden. Many cities across the country began rioting. But instead of cancelling the concert, Brown convinced then-Mayor Kevin White to let him perform live on TV to keep people at thome.
"It actually kept people off the streets," said James Brown Saves Boston Executive Producer Daryl Settles. "We were one of the major cities in America that did not riot because people were actually inside enjoying the message and the performance from James Brown."
The concert features Tony Wilson, who was a close friend and protégé of the icon. He said Brown's performance that night saved the city from what could've been widespread damage, looting and violence.
"He was in that position to say, 'Hey look, I'm here for you guys, let's honor Martin Luther King and be peaceful,'" said Wilson.
Message of unity
Lawrence Peters is from Roxbury and was there the night Brown performed at the Garden. He was only 18 at the time. When things started to get rowdy, he said Brown took control of the crowd.
"He started talking to the people in the audience, saying that we're Black, just try to keep ourselves in control I guess, more or less. And he kind of calmed the crowd down," said Peters.
Back up singers and twin sisters Marilyn Marlene Muldrow were only 10 years old and living in Baltimore when it happened.
"I remember the devastation as a child," said Marlene Muldrow. "How Baltimore, Maryland burnt down. So to hear what happened in Boston, and see that it didn't happen because of James Brown, it's just like, wow."
A message of peace and unity from a music icon during a time when the country needed it the most.