Disco legend, Nile Rodgers, explained to the crowd that a few years before tonight’s gig, he was diagnosed with cancer. He decided at that point that he was going to “write more songs” and “play more shows” than he ever had before. He jubilantly declared that he was “100% cancer free” and a celebratory roar erupted throughout the stadium. This exultant tone remained for the entirety of Chic’s two-hour set which felt like the greatest wedding disco playlist of all time.
The crowd were already in great spirits before the main band even took to the stage. 90’s soul legend, Gabrielle, did an incredible job as the opening act as she worked her way through mega hits like Rise, Out of Reach, Sunshine, Give Me A Little More Time and her 1993 No.1 debut Dreams. Gabrielle‘s voice was strong and soulful and the audience needed little encouragement to join in.
Graphics then appeared on the screen showing “Nile Rodgers Mixtape”; a selection of big disco tracks blasted out of the speakers to ensure that even those seated around the pitch were on their feet before the main event. Patently clear from the outset, the show was designed to be a party and Gloucester were more than happy to oblige.
Nile and co emerged on time and immediately tore into Chic Cheer, the opening track from their 1978 C’est Chic album, before galloping through a trio of the group’s mega hits – Dance Dance Dance, Everybody Dance and I Want Your Love. It was impressive to see how well the band could play these disco songs completely live. Nile Rodgers‘ unmistakable guitar riffs take centre stage while the rest of the band expertly and enthusiastically weave in and out simultaneously giving the impression that they could do this in their sleep and it’s the last show they will ever play.
Later on in the show, Rodgers made a rare mistake in beginning to play a different song to the rest of the band and jokingly pointed out the inevitability of such things when “not playing to a click track”. So many live pop and disco shows rely on backing tracks and it was refreshing to have these classic disco tracks played without any gimmicks.
Despite its importance, disco music like the type Chic specialises in can often be dismissed as somewhat cheesy. Chic embrace the cheese but hearing these songs played by an incredible, full live band complete with unfaltering live vocals from Kimberly Davis serve as a reminder that this is a timeless catalogue of essential pop songs.
It’s not just about the music recorded by Chic tonight. Nile’s served as a co-writer, producer and guitarist on a plethora of enormous records and he treats the audience to a run through some of his most famous cuts tonight. When played one after the other, it’s impossible not to be overwhelmed by the abundance of hits; Diana Ross’ Upside Down and I’m Coming Out, Madonna’s Like A Virgin and Material Girl, David Bowie’s Modern Love and Let’s Dance, Duran Duran’s Notorious and Sister Sledge’s We Are Family and Lost In Music all get an airing tonight. These are not just popular songs, these are so well known they are the fabric of the public consciousness of music.
Whilst they all have the unmistakable Nile Rodgers riff running through them, it’s fascinating to see people in the crowd turning to each other with every track – “oh, he wrote this one? And this one? And this one?!” Perhaps if more people were aware of the surplus of singles on offer, the stadium would be busier than it is tonight. It’s less than a third full but neither the performance or atmosphere suffer as a result.
The songs tonight unite people of all ages; so ubiquitous are the songs, many of them have been sampled several decades later. The setlist recognises this as the likes of Lady (Hear Me Tonight) and Rapper’s Delight are played alongside their original forms.
Get Lucky, Le Freak and a significantly extended version of Good Times take us to the end of a joyous celebration of dancing and music. You would struggle to find a more colossal disco party anywhere else.
