He’s Still Your Boogie Man

Hialeah, stand up! It’s been almost 30 years since local hero Harry Wayne Casey shortened his moniker to KC and started pumping the disco jams. KC and the Sunshine Band put the Magic City on the map with tunes like “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” and “Boogie Shoes.” Back then KC was a veritable sex symbol. Now older and wiser, he looks damn good for his age – hello, have you seen some of the cats from Earth, Wind, and Fire recently? – and he’s still kicking out the jams just the way (uh huh, uh huh) we like them.

Disco died a quick and painful death in the early Eighties, a dark era when hair was styled upward and everyone put away the polyester flares and apparently forgot how to get down. Thanks to videogames such as Dance Dance Revolution (which has used KC and the Sunshine Band hits in three of its releases) and a stream of commercials using “That’s the Way I Like It” to sell products, younger generations are familiar with the boogie man. Take the kids and show them how you jammed in the Seventies – minus the swingin’ exhibitionism and the Bolivian marching powder, natch. Get down tonight at 7:30 at the BankUnited Center. Tickets start at $34.75.
Fri., March 7, 7:30 p.m., 2008