"One night all the James Brown band was playing on stage and I look in the back and I could see Mick Jagger and Keith Richards trying to get in the club and they couldn't get in cause it was to crowded"

Tommy Chong recalls a vivid scene from music history, where the stature of James Brown and his band was so monumental and the energy in the club so intense that even musical legends like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards couldn't gain entry. At its heart, the anecdote captures the electric atmosphere surrounding James Brown's performances, and his ability to draw crowds that were not only massive in number, but fiercely loyal and enthusiastic. The venue was so packed that people as renowned as Jagger and Richards, themselves icons at the height of their own fame, found themselves on the outside looking in, unable to get close to what was unfolding inside.

This scenario highlights the cross-pollination in the music world of the era. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, key figures in The Rolling Stones and symbols of British rock's dominance in the 1960s and 1970s, are here depicted as fans and admirers of James Brown, an American soul and funk pioneer whose influence stretched beyond genres. It speaks to the magnetism and respect James Brown commanded among his peers; even accomplished musicians were eager to witness his genius up close.

There's also an element of humor and irony in the situation. Despite their fame, Jagger and Richards are rendered powerless by the simple reality of a full house. Their celebrity status doesn't grant them special access; the music and the collective energy of the audience trump personal fame or entitlement. This reinforces the notion that at live shows of this magnitude, the experience, the music, and the moment are accessible to all who arrive, regardless of their status outside the door.

Chong's memory encapsulates a magical convergence, a transformative night powered by funk and soul, in which barriers of fame momentarily dissolve, replaced by pure admiration and a universal desire to partake in something extraordinary.