James Brown calls for a halt to the uprisings and rallies...
On the night of 4-5 April 1968, things are heating up in the United States following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. James Brown continues his concert at the Boston Garden, agreeing to broadcast the show to keep the city calm.
Riots break out across America in response to King's assassination. The mayor of Boston suggests cancelling the show (along with all other public events), but an African-American councillor convinces him to televise the concert instead.
Brown goes along with the plan: the concert is broadcast live on Boston public television station WGBH.
The show has a lot of police officers keeping their hands to themselves. As the audience rushes the stage, the cops become violent but don't cross the line. Before the police can take action, Brown intervenes and orders the cops to stand down, asking the crowd for respect and decent behaviour.
https://youtu.be/CZ2PEJGeNHw
"Come on down and let's get this show together, - he begs. -We're black. Don't make us all look bad."
The crowd complies, and Brown ends the show without incident. Crime is down in the city compared to a typical Friday night, as the telecast clearly had the expected effect.
