James Brown concert in Boston after Dr. King Assassination
On April 4, 1968, Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Highly respected and a known advocate for non-violence, his death was mourned by millions. In response, cities like Washington D.C., Chicago, Detroit and so many more nationwide rioted. Boston was no different. The black community (mostly from Roxbury) was understandably upset and city officials became worried.
African American recording artist James Brown was scheduled to perform at the Boston Garden the day after and the city’s Mayor, Kevin H. White was more than reluctant. As new mayor (in office for less than one hundred days), White wanted to cancel the concert knowing that thousands of young African Americans would be present and full with emotion. Tom Atkins, Boston’s only Black city councilman (also a member of General Counsel for the NAACP) knew cancelling the concert would probably incite a riot rather than prevent one. He convinced the mayor to continue with the show.
The Mayor then thought that the best way to keep people at home would be to televise the James Brown concert. Unable to contact Brown for his approval, Mayor White went ahead and convinced public station WGBH to broadcast the concert live. He also offered refunds to ticket holders. This didn’t sit well with Brown who had a lot to say once he landed in Boston that morning. Brown was expected to lose about $60,000 if the concert was televised and he let that be known to Mayor White who compensated him.
Before the concert, Mayor Kevin White spoke to the audience in the Garden…
“All of us are here tonight to listen to a great talent – James Brown. But we’re also here to pay tribute to one of the greatest Americans – Dr. Martin Luther King. Twenty-four hours ago Dr. King died for all of us – Black and White. That we may live together in harmony without violence. Now I’m here tonight like all of you to listen to James but I’m also here to ask for your help. I’m here to ask you to stay with me as your mayor and to make Dr. King’s dreams a reality in Boston. This is our city and its future is in our hands. Tonight and tomorrow and the days that follow. Martin Luther King loved this city and it’s up to our generation to prove his faith in us. So all I ask you tonight is this… To let us look at each other here in the gardens and back at home and pledge that no matter what any other community might do, we in Boston will honor Dr. King in peace.”
Then James Brown hit the stage. He performed some of his greatest hits like "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," “I got the Feelin” and “Cold Sweat.” The atmosphere of the night was fun and exciting but almost took a turn near the end of the show. A number of young concert goers decided to jump onto the stage while Brown was performing. Police officers were forcibly pushing them off the stage and into the audience. Trying to keep the peace, Brown told officers to stay back and spoke to the audience... “This is no way. We are Black. We are Black…Don’t make us all look bad…Let’s represent our own selves.” And he continued, “I asked the police to step back because I figured I could get some respect from my own people. Are we together or we ain’t?” At that point, everyone had finally left the stage and Brown cued his band to start up again ending the show on a good note.
Having the concert and broadcasting it live was probably the best decision Mayor White could have made that day. The broadcast did exactly what it was supposed to do – keep people at peace in their homes. There was far less crime that night than expected because of the concert. James Brown had a hold on a segment of the community that wanted to be heard and he kept the piece that night honoring Dr. King. Imagine what we would be reading in history books if that concert didn’t happen.
