Iconic funk band Pleasure took the stage for the first time this year as headliners of the 52nd Annual Oregon Juneteenth Festival at Lillis-Albina Park on Saturday, June 15. Before splitting up in the 1980s, the band shared stages with groups including Earth, Wind & Fire and The Commodores. The Portland act’s music also played an important role in influencing artists such as Janet Jackson and Questlove.
This was the group’s first performance since founding member Donald Hepburn’s death earlier this year. It also marked their return since their September 2023 show at Portland’s Revolution Hall, which was held almost 40 years after their first concert. The free concert included classic hits like “Glide,” “Universal” and “Ghettos of the Mind” among many more. Paul Knauls, the honorary “Mayor of Northeast Portland,” was also in attendance.
The group’s reunion show at Revolution Hall “felt like a celebration with close friends.” “It felt strange but it felt really, really good after all these years to get up there,” bass guitarist Nate Phillips told OPB’s Paul Marshall in September 2023. “To just enjoy the idea that here we are on stage together playing these songs.”
Set:
00:00 Pleasure takes the stage
09:03 “Universal” by Pleasure
12:22 “Ghettos of the Mind” by Pleasure
17:23 “Bouncy Lady” by Pleasure
This video was produced by: Prakruti Bhatt
Videographers: Cameron Nielsen, Nate Sjol, Prakruti Bhatt
Editor: Prakruti Bhatt
Titles & Graphics: MacGregor Campbell
Audio Mix: Steven Kray
Executive Producer: MacGregor Campbell
Correction: The initial version of this story misstated where Pleasure last performed before their 2023 show at Revolution Hall. OPB regrets the error.