Funkarelic? No Way!

At 9:45, two hours into a rousing performance by George Clinton and his P-Funk All Stars on Thursday at the Universal Amphitheatre, the show went intergalactic when a spaceship descended from the rafters and landed onstage.

Billowing smoke and flashing lights, the Mothership is a cornerstone of P-Funk lore, accentuating the idea that the listeners are being transported to a surreal world not unlike one of Pedro Bell’s elaborate album cover drawings, where nothing else matters but the music.

Saints and sinners, preachers and porno stars, hippies and hip-hoppers can all meet at this interplanetary connection, where funk is a factor that unites and smooths. It’s a fact that hip-hop’s multicultural audience has proven, and many of them have accentuated that point by sampling from Clinton’s deep catalog.

The fans that packed the Universal--a ragtag bunch ranging from teens to fans in their 50s--came to relive moments of the ‘70s, when the uncut, bomb funk was P-Funk’s specialty. They weathered the season’s worst rainstorm to witness Clinton’s three-ring circus of his band’s various incarnations, including Parliament, Funkadelic, the Brides of Funkenstein and the Horny Horns. The high-flying musicians--notably, guitarist Michael Hampton--included wailing war baby vocalist Gary Shider (wearing just his trademark diaper) and the general assembly of freaks, from the dancers to the rhythm guitarist in a wedding dress.

The audience got just what Dr. Funkenstein ordered--a show that rocked with no quarter for more than three hours.

Unlike their former labelmates KISS, P-Funk never gave up the outlandish theatrics or allegiance to the old songs that the hip-hop nation has kept alive via countless imitations. Hitting the stage without an opening act, the group went into 20-minute renditions of such staples as “P Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)” and “Flashlight.”

Once they jumped head-first into the hardcore jollies of “Cosmic Slop,” however, playtime was over. The smooth horns stepped back and the rhythm & bluesy Parliament element transformed like a Ridley Scott alien into Funkadelic, a stripped-down, monstrous-sounding heavy-metal funk band. Michael Hampton stood center stage, his explosive guitar playing evoking everything from backwoods jook-joint night life to apocalyptic strife.

Clinton, meanwhile, like a proud P.T. Barnum, stood off to the side and let musicians slash it out, like players elbowing for a rebound. He’s right to be proud. Clinton, whose Parliament-Funkadelic will be inducted next May into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, may not be writing new chapters in the P-Funk annals, but he was once so far ahead of the rest of the pop world, they’re all still catching up.

*POP BEAT

The beat goes on inside Calendar with four more reviews. F6

* CECE WINANS--She’s celebrating Jesus and her first album without brother BeBe.

* SLASH’S BLUES BALL--The former GNR guitarist returns to the fundamentals.

* RUSTED ROOT--Ebulliently carrying on the Grateful Dead’s global village vibe.

* CHEMICAL BROTHERS--A too-techno concert from the British dance music duo.