Nile Rodgers and CHIC are still making music and touring after all this time.
The band was co-founded by Rodgers in the early 1970s, and the line-up is made up of some of the original members.
I felt compelled to research Rodgers’ age whilst standing in the middle of the racecourse at Cheltenham, waiting for him to appear on stage.
He’s 71; a living, breathing, time-traveller, using music genres to bounce from decade to decade. Even if you don’t like the music of CHIC, I bet you could name one or two of their hits… and there are so many to choose from. Rodgers has also had multiple, colossal hits in his own right, collaborating with some of the world’s most iconic music artists, but more about that in a sec.
Another age I googled, was support act Heather Smalls. She’s 59. Every song, a belter. Her voice is still so powerful, as she shimmied across the stage in a silver crop top displaying the most amazing set of abs. She was the perfect artist to get the crowd whipped up and ready to dance the night away!
It’s always brave putting on an outside gig during English summertime, but the weather at Cheltenham’s Prestbury Park that evening couldn’t have been more, well, summery. The band strutted out on stage looking like 100% living legends, with Rodgers dressed in a white satin flared trouser suit. The arena and stage sits in a natural amphitheatre, so visibility was excellent; even for a short arse like me.
It was difficult to estimate how many people in the crowd, as the racecourse is vast and it’s tricky to get any sense of scale, but I reckon anything over five thousand people. The demographic was drawn from across the generations. Many wearing fabulous outfits; from feather bowers and sequins, to oversized sunglasses and metallic effect robot all-in-one suits. A nod and a wink to Daft Punk. Gloucestershire had gathered to party!
As sunlight turned to moonlight, the hits continued. There were so many hits in fact, songs were cleverly edited and weaved into a music medley. The band are incredibly tight and well rehearsed, and Rodgers’ banter between songs is priceless. He is the master self-publicity, but I guess when it’s taken a lifetime to become a multi-Grammy award winning songwriter, composer and musician, there is little time for modesty. Rodgers segways from one collaborator to the next; Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Duran Duran and Daft Punk to name just a few, and you could hear people in the crowd murmur, ‘I didn’t know that was his song’! It was a real education in music through the decades; from the 70s, right up to modern day, collaborating with Queen B, Beyonce.
Rodgers’ said this had been his most enjoyable tour ever and it made me reflect on how lucky we are to have these amazing artists still around. I felt fortunate to have witnessed a little bit of music history that night. Having been born in the 70s, the music made me feel old and nostalgic, but also quite modern and relevant, as I knew almost all of Rodgers’ recent collaborations!
Nile Rodgers and CHIC’s tour concludes at the end of September http://nilerodgers.com/events-list
