– Live at The Forum

If you had to pick one word to sum up the show Nile Rodgers brought to London on a late Summer evening it would have to be ‘exhilarating’. The quality of musicianship on stage was comparable to the Steely Dan touring lineup that Don and Walter favoured the capital with in July. Also this looked to be an ensemble that it would be fun to be part of, with the two female lead singers in this current grouping particularly sparky and glamorous.

Rodgers himself clearly gets a huge kick out of dusting off the Chic brand for live shows, his Strat chording as bright and sharp as ever and his stage banter warm and reflective. This essentially is a celebration of Chic hits (though my alltime favourite ‘Your Love’ with its dizzying string passages didn’t make the setlist) plus the many productions and writing collaborations that Nile has worked on. If it sounded like a very classy celebration or party disco of  surefire hit after hit this was achieved with ease but to the seasoned gig-goer it was the ensemble’s attack, polish and undisguised glee in performing that left the biggest impression. You would go anywhere to see these cats play anything.

An all-white stage attire decision gave an air of an ER room crew finding instruments between operations, but looked GOOD. Or bad, if that’s the parlance. The crowd took the band to its heart straight away and troubles were forgotten for the night as the band blazed away with tease intro’s, virtuoso solo’s from all including hornsmen Curt Ramm and his Donald Byrd-type blasts and tenor sax alumnus Bill Holloman. Unless I’m wrong, Holloman was in the Chic lineup in the Bernard Edwards era, before the bass king passed away during a tour of Japan. Stone beauty Cherie Mitchell had a curious Liberace solo piano moment before vamping off into the sublime ‘I Want Your Love’, still an exercise in libidinous tension and later she was slipping in salsa riffs whilst Mexican songbird Melissa Jiminez danced away. The strings interludes were down to keysman Selan Lerner and handled with aplomb.

Some of the audience were a little surprised to be educated as to Rodgers’ roles in creating ‘Like A Virgin’, here giving Jiminez an chance to get the audience singing along but moreover the trump card of having drummer Ralph Rolle sing Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ with a whomping full-blooded arrangement and even Rodgers throwing in some of the biting Albert King-tinged guitar licks that Stevie Ray Vaughan punched out on the original record.  That singer Kimberley Davis’ voice and style would flatten any wannabe that TV shows like ‘X Factor’ will ever produce is evident.

‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’, ‘Upside Down’, ‘even the great ‘Spacer’ are all aired tonight and yes at the heart of all these performances are the solid but sprightly bass figures, supplied here by Philip Banks’ close relative Jerry Barnes, making the best of synching in with one of the world’s most accomplished guitar players. Especially on ‘Forbidden Lover’.

After the obligatory nagging funk riffing of ‘Le Freak’, Rodgers has the band line up together at the front of the stage for fan photos, promising to put them on their website. He then goes for a wander in the crowd before being delivered to the boards again for a wrapup ‘Good Times’ which includes a nod to its use by hiphoppers everywhere.

Hotfoot from a show in Amsterdam and next day heading off to Ireland, the city was lucky to have this tight band in such celebratory form. Fine for the dancing feet, but musical enough for the head, Chic have it all covered

Pete Sargeant    www.fairhearing.co.uk