For MLK: The Night James Brown Saved Boston
April 5th 1968, the morning after one of the most catastrophic moments in American history – the assassination of Martin Luther King. America’s inner cities had begun to implode and in Boston there is a fragile peace. The mayor of Boston is about to cancel a long-scheduled James Brown concert to avoid confrontation – a potentially incendiary move – but after warnings he has a change of heart and asks if there is ’something James Brown can do to help’. This documentary tells the story of that amazing night and features rarely-seen footage of the Godfather of Soul’s concert plus personal reminiscences from those in attendance.
WGBH Boston offered this assesment. … Even in this bleakest of moments, James knows his job is to go on-stage and give the people a reason not to riot. He puts on a mesmerizing show. James Brown kept the peace in one of America’s most racially inflammatory cities. And he did that just by being James Brown — setting the stage of the Boston Garden on fire. And the city itself didn’t burn. …
