The first official weekend of college is upon us and the question that lingers is everyone's mind seems to be, "What are we going to do tonight?"

While the first weekend of the year offers the student population the traditional ally to rally, there's one word on the mouths of students all over campus: funk.

Funk. The word itself provides lush images of the days of disco, crazy clothing trends and one thumping' bass line.

Notre Dame's campus, on the other hand, is not really known for having a funky attitude, unless the antics of a football Saturday or an off-campus celebration are taken into account.

Funk or no funk, the "mother ship" will arrive tonight with George Clinton and P-Funk along with Better Than Ezra and The Green Room.

Originally named Parliament, Clinton formed another group, Funkadelic, after some difficulty with competing record labels. Shortly after, however, Clinton fused both groups into Parliament Funkadelic or "P-Funk."

The group has been sharing its mixture of blues, soul, R & B and rock with listeners for over 30 years. Their success peaked in the mid `70s with hits like "Flash Light," "P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)," "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)" and "Aqua Boogie."

Multiple musicians are involved in creating the layered grooves of the world's premiere funk ensemble. Percussionists, guitarists, various synthetic technicians, back up vocalists and the amusing vocals of Clinton create a unique sound

P-Funk is also considered one of the pioneers of disco, hip-hop, rap and most modern dance music. Last summer, Clinton and all the P-Funk members appeared on Nike commercials with rapper Snoop Dogg.

Although P-Funk has influenced many artists and recorded hundreds of songs, it is probably best known for their extravagant stage performances. Wearing vibrant costumes and landing a "mother ship" on stage, P-Funk is certainly a show from another dimension.

Better Than Ezra, a popular mid-90s rock trio, will also perform. Operating out of New Orleans, Better Than Ezra is similar to modern rock groups such as Matchbox Twenty and Third Eye Blind. The group achieved much popular success with their 1995 debut album Deluxe, which included the hits "Good", and "Roselia."

The band's sophomore effort, Friction Baby, was not as successful in sales, but included the chart-topper, "Desperately Wanting." After a slight remission, Better Than Ezra surfaced again in 2001 with their most recent album, Closer. Keeping with the pop-rock rhythm of their early work, "Sincerely Me" and "Misunderstood" are the stand-out singles on the album.

Opening for George Clinton and P-Funk and Better Than Ezra is The Green Room, a local band with obvious ties to alternative rock, punk and emo.

No matter what kind of music a person likes, they will certainly find something to enjoy at The Show.

Even so, many students wonder if this concert is merely a ploy by the administration to lure students away from the usual parties that occur the first weekend back and bring them into a non-drinking, regulated environment. The committee putting the concert on, however, simply sees this as a chance for students to see a good concert.

"We were told that the university wanted to have a big event as kind of a continuation of freshman orientation," said Brian Adams, treasurer of The Show committee organizing the concert. "It is the first weekend that freshmen are entirely on their own with what they want to do and the university just wanted to have this event as an option available to them."

Senior Jenna Spanbauer also said she and her friends would be attending the concert just because the parties that take place at the beginning of the year have become a bit old and she isn't expecting anything new from them this year.

"My friends and I are going just because we have been doing the same thing for the past three years and this is something different," Spanbauer said. "I can see where the administration would want to hold the concert on this weekend, however, because it is offering alternatives to the freshmen who don't want to go off campus. There is a lot of pressure these first couple of weeks for the freshmen and this concert will give them something to do and not make them feel left out."

The event is organized by an independent concert committee and is not associated with Flipside, nor is it similar to last year's Flip Stock that was held on this same weekend.

"We wanted to have the big event but we didn't want to put Flipside's name with it because of the stigma involved with the name," Adams said. "We didn't want a stigma going into this. We wanted everyone to know that it is for both drinkers and non-drinkers. It's just an opportunity for people to see George Clinton."

Last year, several students mocked Flipstock for trying to provide an alternative to Rally in the Alley, a massive party at the nearby Turtle Creek apartment complex.

"It's not like Rally won't still be raging at 11:30 p.m. after Better than Ezra and P-Funk," sophomore Steve Salwierak said.

Many others appear to be choosing the concert over parties as well, some because of the music and some just to see George Clinton in person.

"I think it would be interesting to see George Clinton because he is kind of a weird guy and it would be fun. I'm also looking forward to seeing Better Than Ezra just because I like their music," sophomore Nick Dailey said.

"I'm assuming George Clinton will do something that would provoke his banishment from the University and I'd like to be there to see it," Tony DeVito said.

Other students are upset the University is planning the concert on this weekend because they feel that they are intentionally trying to take students away from the traditions of the past and they are not holding the concert for entertainment purposes.

"I would go if it wasn't the same day as Rally," sophomore Tom Reid said. "I think it's unfair the only time the school puts on events like this is when they want to deter students from parties. They should do events like this around other times, like as a break from finals."

Many students, especially the freshmen, have little information about informed of what occurs the first week on campus.

"I am not going to the concert because there are off-campus parties that I would rather go to and I didn't know about it in time," freshman Brett Hummel said.

While Flipstock was free, the committee decided to charge $5 to help to cover the costs. 22 dorms did not raise enough money to cover the entire cost of the concert.

The concert will be held at the Joyce Center and Notre Dame, Saint Mary's and Holy Cross identification will be required at the door.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and The Green Room, a local band, will begin playing at 6:30 p.m. Better Than Ezra will be on at 7:30 p.m. followed by George Clinton and P-Funk at 9:30 p.m. The concert is expected to run until midnight.

Although controversy remains as to why exactly the University chose this weekend to hold a concert, students now have more options for the first night of the first weekend of the school year.

"This is just a big event for everyone," Adams said. "They should have fun and what they do afterward is their prerogative."

Contact Mike Schmuhl at schmuhl.5@nd.edu and Emily Howald at howald.10@nd.edu

• Notre Dame gets funked up