Live
Kool and the Gang
Parco della Musica, Milan
29 June 2025 (gig)
01 July 2025
The Parco della Musica in Milan is currently hosting a summer series of live shows in the heart of the city, featuring legendary acts like Massive Attack and The Who. Tonight, on a sweltering June evening, it was Kool and the Gang’s turn to take the stage—and they did so with timeless style.
Growing up in the ’80s, whether you were a mod, a rocker—or even a mocker, as Ringo might say—Kool and the Gang seemed to transcend musical boundaries. Their sound had universal appeal. They didn’t demand allegiance to a scene or a subculture. They just wanted you to “get down on it” and dance. Hit after hit, their music was irresistible—thanks to razor-sharp horn riffs, an unshakeable rhythm section, and the smooth, silky voice of James “JT” Taylor, which had a way of pulling you in like Winnie the Pooh to a pot of honey.
If you trace their origins back to their early days steeped in R&B and jazz-funk, their legacy becomes even more impressive. Few bands can claim such a broad, genre-spanning, and influential body of work.
These days, only Robert “Kool” Bell remains from the original lineup. In 2024, he saw the band’s long-overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What better way to honor that legacy than with a world tour? No political manifestos. No life lessons. Just timeless music and a celebration of life.
The Parco della Musica, located in a green zone near Linate Airport, offers a surprisingly pleasant setting—especially compared to Milan’s usual concrete-heavy concert venues. Showtime was scheduled for 10 p.m., allowing the heat of the day to subside just a little. It’s an all-seater gig—slightly disappointing for a band built for the dancefloor—but the hope remained that “Jungle Boogie” would get people up regardless.
The current touring lineup includes:
• Robert “Kool” Bell – bass, backing vocals
• Curtis “Fitz” Williams – alto saxophone, keyboards
• Shawn “Shawny Mac” McQuiller – vocals, guitar
• Amir Bayyan – lead guitar, keyboards
• Timothy Horton – drums, percussion
• Curtis Pulliam – trumpet, backing vocals
• Jermaine Bryson – trombone, backing vocals
• Walt Anderson – vocals
• Rick Marcel – guitar, bass, backing vocals
• Louis “Nicky” Taylor – tenor saxophone, backing vocals
The setlist was exactly what you’d want—cleverly paced with all the classic hits stacked at the end, prompting the inevitable audience eruption. Everyone was on their feet, dancing and singing along. Shawny Mac and Walt Anderson handled the lead vocals, and impressively, the vocal phrasing and inflections echoed JT Taylor’s delivery from all those years ago. It felt like muscle memory; no need to reinvent perfection.
Perhaps due to the show starting 20 minutes late and a strict midnight curfew, “Take My Heart”—my personal favorite—was omitted from the setlist. A small heartbreak, but I’ll have to make do with my vinyl 45 at home.
The horn section, as ever, stole the show. With a pristine sound system in place at the Parco, every solo rang out clean and crisp—each one a little performance to treasure.
It was probably just too hot (no pun intended) to give my “White Man’s Dance” much flair, but like everyone else, I had a great time. I left the show sweatier but undoubtedly happier than when I’d arrived.
Growing up in the ’80s, whether you were a mod, a rocker—or even a mocker, as Ringo might say—Kool and the Gang seemed to transcend musical boundaries. Their sound had universal appeal. They didn’t demand allegiance to a scene or a subculture. They just wanted you to “get down on it” and dance. Hit after hit, their music was irresistible—thanks to razor-sharp horn riffs, an unshakeable rhythm section, and the smooth, silky voice of James “JT” Taylor, which had a way of pulling you in like Winnie the Pooh to a pot of honey.
If you trace their origins back to their early days steeped in R&B and jazz-funk, their legacy becomes even more impressive. Few bands can claim such a broad, genre-spanning, and influential body of work.
These days, only Robert “Kool” Bell remains from the original lineup. In 2024, he saw the band’s long-overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What better way to honor that legacy than with a world tour? No political manifestos. No life lessons. Just timeless music and a celebration of life.
The Parco della Musica, located in a green zone near Linate Airport, offers a surprisingly pleasant setting—especially compared to Milan’s usual concrete-heavy concert venues. Showtime was scheduled for 10 p.m., allowing the heat of the day to subside just a little. It’s an all-seater gig—slightly disappointing for a band built for the dancefloor—but the hope remained that “Jungle Boogie” would get people up regardless.
The current touring lineup includes:
• Robert “Kool” Bell – bass, backing vocals
• Curtis “Fitz” Williams – alto saxophone, keyboards
• Shawn “Shawny Mac” McQuiller – vocals, guitar
• Amir Bayyan – lead guitar, keyboards
• Timothy Horton – drums, percussion
• Curtis Pulliam – trumpet, backing vocals
• Jermaine Bryson – trombone, backing vocals
• Walt Anderson – vocals
• Rick Marcel – guitar, bass, backing vocals
• Louis “Nicky” Taylor – tenor saxophone, backing vocals
The setlist was exactly what you’d want—cleverly paced with all the classic hits stacked at the end, prompting the inevitable audience eruption. Everyone was on their feet, dancing and singing along. Shawny Mac and Walt Anderson handled the lead vocals, and impressively, the vocal phrasing and inflections echoed JT Taylor’s delivery from all those years ago. It felt like muscle memory; no need to reinvent perfection.
Perhaps due to the show starting 20 minutes late and a strict midnight curfew, “Take My Heart”—my personal favorite—was omitted from the setlist. A small heartbreak, but I’ll have to make do with my vinyl 45 at home.
The horn section, as ever, stole the show. With a pristine sound system in place at the Parco, every solo rang out clean and crisp—each one a little performance to treasure.
It was probably just too hot (no pun intended) to give my “White Man’s Dance” much flair, but like everyone else, I had a great time. I left the show sweatier but undoubtedly happier than when I’d arrived.