James Brown
Brixton Academy, London
****

There are times when music is the only thing that matters, and that's no cliche, as James Brown would attest. So far, the new decade hasn't brought him much luck, but from the moment a band member roars his introduction - "He gave the world some of the greatest soul music! James Brown! JAMES BROWN!" - the grim details count for nothing.

Bounding on, perfectly coiffured, in a bright red suit with silver sequinned lapels, Brown radiates delight. He engages in dance competitions and effervescent banter with his band. You watch him dance cheek-to-cheek with one of his female backing singers during Only You, shimmy his hips with another during Sex Machine, and carry a third halfway across the stage, and all you can think is, I hope I have such stamina when I'm 67. The last thing you remember is that Brown has had to cancel a date on this tour because he's being sued for sexual harassment.

A show like this makes Brown feel like a rarity among pop's icons: he knows what his fans want to hear and he lives up to their expectations, playing songs that are 30 or 40 years old as if they were still fresh to him. The band help considerably, from the tickly riff in Papa's Got a Brand New Bag and the funk rhythms of Payback to the rich introduction to It's a Man's, Man's Man's World, the playing is impeccable. Brown relishes every note he hears and is constantly fetching musicians to his microphone to play solos, gazing appreciatively at the percussionist, or stepping back to let someone else show off their vocal skills.

Sometimes his admiration for his band goes so far that this could be a tribute act. It is a gut-wrenching disappointment to see him hand over the microphone to practically everyone else on stage rather than sing the verses to It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World. Similarly, there is something odd about the most impressive scream of the night coming from the keyboard player.

Perhaps this is the most appealing thing about him. Not only is Brown still squealing, grunting, sliding and doing the splits, but he behaves as though he is just one of many stars here, as though several thousand people aren't shouting his name alone.

James Brown plays the Essential Festival, Brighton on Sunday. Box office: 09068 230 190.