Sly Stone’s Late D.C. Show Remembered After His Death

Washington, D.C. — Sly Stone, the iconic leader of Sly and the Family Stone, passed away on Monday at the age of 82. Fans and musicians alike are remembering his incredible contributions to music, but some recount his notorious habit of arriving late to shows. One such incident took place in February 1970 in Washington.

Vito Maggiolo, now a Public Information Officer for DC Fire and EMS, was a high schooler when he attended the concert at DAR Constitution Hall. He was thrilled to see the band after snagging tickets from a neighbor who managed the venue. “His grooves, his music was so … it was happy music,” Maggiolo said, reflecting on the excitement of that night.

However, the evening quickly turned chaotic. “A lot of folks rushed the doors, so there were those who didn’t have tickets inside. It was a pretty wild scene,” he said. After arriving at the venue, attendees faced an extended and tense wait for Sly and the Family Stone to take the stage. Maggiolo estimated that wait could have lasted around five hours, although he couldn’t pinpoint an exact time. “It seemed like forever,” he recalled.

As frustration mounted, Maggiolo noticed that his neighbor, the venue manager, struggled to calm the crowd. “It reached a point where, in my mind, people were getting ready to tear up the hall. It was really scary,” he said. Despite the chaos, he chose to stay in hopes that the band would eventually perform.

Then, as if the tension had never existed, Sly Stone appeared on stage, reassuring the crowd, “It’s OK, it’s cool, it’s cool.” Maggiolo described the crowd’s immediate silence in awe as Stone and the band briefly disappeared backstage, leaving everyone stunned.

When Sly and the Family Stone finally reemerged and began to play around midnight, the atmosphere transformed. “I don’t recall how long they played, but the fact that they did play, everybody was happy. Constitution Hall didn’t get burned down,” Maggiolo said. The performance turned frowns into joy for the audience.

Maggiolo often shares the story of that fateful night, and it resurfaced after news of Stone’s death. “I know, I was there!” he remarked, acknowledging that he witnessed a piece of music history. “I guess I was lucky, and I got to see a little bit of music history, infamous music history, but I do remember the music. It was amazing. Sly was an amazing performer,” he concluded.