Never was there more of a case of a venue befitting the act playing it than tonight. With its neon décor and low lit, sunken dance floor, I always feels like I’ve stepped back in time when arriving at Billboard; perfect for Chic, featuring the legendary Mr Nile Rodgers.
Tonight kicked off in fine style. In the absence of a proper support act, the mood was beautifully set by DJ Eric Powell playing various tracks that traced the origin and development of funk and groove throughout the years. Everything from James Brown to Beats International right through to modern commercial dance was featured, each chosen track highlighting the incredible influence of one man on music, Mr Nile Rodgers. This was a great way for one to immerse themselves musically in what was to come.
Mr Rodgers and his incredible nine piece band, The Chic Organisation, hit the stage just after half past nine. Kicking off in spectacular style with “Everybody Dance”, “Dance Dance Dance (Yowza Youza Youza)” and “I Want Your Love” what followed was an hour and a half of incredibly joyous, positive and life affirming tracks spanning over two decades. The band, featuring some killer bass and two incredible female vocalists sharing duties, were tight as a duck’s butt. Rodgers revelled in his ‘James Brown’ role, as he put it, as band leader tonight.
Mr Rodgers proved to be a down to earth and affable front man. Both he and the band seemed so at home on stage, constantly smiling and truly enjoying the music they were playing, opening up and expanding upon the songs from their studio counterparts.
What was special about tonight was that the music didn’t solely concentrate on what Chic created. After Chic split up in the early eighties, Mr Rodgers went on to become well-known for his writing and production work with the likes of Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, INXS, Duran Duran and most famously producing Madonna’s breakthrough album, Like A Virgin. Tracks from each of the aforementioned acts were performed tonight, to rapturous applause from the crowd. “Like A Virgin” in particular, stripped of the histrionics that Madonna brought to the frame, sounded beautifully raw.
“Original Sin” was a brilliant example of the genius of the guitar playing of Nile Rodgers. Rather than playing it as a lead instrument, he plays in a rhythm guitar style but in a lead guitar stance sonically. The effect is stunning, really highlighting the groove rather than being the equivalent of guitar masturbation, a trap many guitarists fall into.
The hits from various people Nile has worked with came thick and fast. “We Are Family” and “He’s The Greatest Dancer” (Sister Sledge), “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out” (Diana Ross) and, to the surprise of many, David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”, a track and album of the same name that Nile produced in the early eighties.
“Lost In Music” was another wonderful inclusion in tonight’s set. With the incredible grooves and funk on display, Mr Rodgers and his band really had it going on. Nights like this don’t grow on trees.
Tonight ended in a spectacular fashion with a cluster of Chic tracks. “Chic Cheer” was followed by what has become known as the band’s signature track, the immortal “Le Freak”. Featuring a combination of guitar and bass lines so solid you could build a house on them, this still sounds like nothing else out there all these years later. To say the crowd were going nuts would have been an understatement.
After leaving the stage for a time, the band returned for their encore to let loose “Good Times”, accompanied by various audience members on stage dancing with the band. This, as if it was needed, confirmed the incredibly positive and loving vibe in the room.
Mr Rodgers, with the beaming smile that could light up a small city, bid the crowd farewell and seemed genuinely humbled; moved by how rapturous and loving the crowd was towards him. He has such a positive frame of mind, which is absolutely inspiring, considering he is dealing with serious prostrate cancer at this point in time in his life. [He had been at Richmond’s Epworth Hospital with complications the morning of the show – Ed.]
This was a truly special night. It’s not often you get the chance to see a genius at work. Mr Rodgers, backed by a killer band tonight, has created grooves that will last until the end of time. For that, love and respect always.
– Neil Evans
