Kansas and George Clinton coming to Jackson this weekend

World-renowned music legends have concerts in metro Jackson this weekend.

Celebrating its 40th year as a rock band, Kansas will perform Friday to kick off the 2014 season of the Livingston concert series. Funk legend George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic will take the stage at the Mississippi Coliseum Saturday night on his last tour circuit.

Kansas started out as a garage band from Topeka, producing a career-long eight gold albums, three multi-platinum albums (“Leftoverture,” “Point of No Return” and “Best of Kansas), one platinum live album (“Two for the Show”) and a gold single, “Dust in the Wind.”

“In the beginning, we considered ourselves and our music different, and we hope we will always remain so,” said the band in its biography. “Little did this legendary rock group realize that back in the early 1970s what seemed to be ‘different’ was actually ahead of its time.”

North Carolina native Clinton will bring a 30-piece band and perform for nearly two hours. During the 1970s inception of Parliament Funkadelic, Clinton hit the R&B top 10 chart several times and sold out live, extravagant shows.

Clinton will perform fan favorites, including hits “Atomic Dog,” “Flash Light” and “We Need the Funk.” This is expected to be his last performance in Jackson, as the 72-year-old is winding down his career.

Clinton last played in Jackson in 2008, when he performed at Jubilee!JAM. At the Mississippi Coliseum on Saturday, local soul-rock group Chad Wesley Band will open the show.

“For a local group to perform before one of the creators of the (funk) genre (is) huge,” said Xperience JXN Entertainment spokesman Eric Walker in a news release. “Artists work so hard waiting and hoping for that big break one day. Chad Wesley Band just got theirs.”

Lead guitarist Chad Wesley, 28, of Jackson is excited to see Clinton live in person for the first time. His band has won several local awards and performed at major metro-area events, including Mal’s St. Paddy’s and Zippity Doo Dah festivities.

“I believe everyone has some stake in loving George Clinton’s funk music,” said Wesley, whose band recently signed a record deal with Now Entertainment in Jackson. “With us being an eclectic band of music, it’s definitely a grand opportunity to associate yourself with anyone — especially a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.”

To contact Terricha Bradley-Phillips, call (601) 961-7067 or follow @Terricha_CL on Twitter.

If You Go

Kansas at Livingston Township Concert Series, produced by Reviver Records Productions

Where: Baptist Health Systems Amphitheater in Madison, next to the farmers market at the corner of Mississippi 463 and Mississippi 22

When: Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Admission: Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com or revivermusic.com. Local band Acoustic Crossroads will open the show at 7 p.m.

One Night of Funk starring George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, produced by Xperience JXN Entertainment

Where: Mississippi Coliseum, Jackson

When: Doors open at 7 p.m., concert begins at 8 p.m. Jackson soul-rock group Chad Wesley Band will open for Clinton.

Admission: The price range is $30-41. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com or the Coliseum box office.