If you’ve not seen a live concert in the main courtyard at Fremantle Prison it’s a very cool backdrop to a show, sadly on a night like tonight it also adds a certain wind chill to proceedings as Nile mentions more than once this evening. The wind can also play tricks with the sound meaning that unless you got in close then you missed out on what to me was one of the most integral parts of the show when Niles talked about the songs he’d been involved with during his long and very distinguished career. Thankfully those towards the back just seemed to want to dance and who can fault them for that with a soundtrack like this!
For those not immediately familiar with the name Nile Rodgers, this is the man that formed Chic with bassist Bernard Edwards and went on to produce some of the biggest names of the 80’s and 90’s and beyond. Working with everyone from Bowie, Madonna, INXS and U2 along the way, as well as my favourite of his collaborations with Debbie Harry, David Lee Roth and the B-52’s. But not only has he penned or collaborated on more hits than you can mention he’s also one hell of a guitarist too making it to no 7 in Rolling Stone’s list of greatest guitarist of all time.
Tonight though is all about the party and whilst there are certainly some in the crowd who should probably never be allowed to dance again (we had a great time coming up with descriptions of their various styles) on the whole I’ve never seen more people dancing and having fun as this show tonight which marked the penultimate date of Nile’s hugely successful Australian Tour.
Starting out with a burst of Chic is genius and sets the party going which never in truth stops for the duration of the set. It’s the sort of Disco that is timeless and for every sequined jacket tonight there’s another rock and roller having fun. The musicians on stage are sublime, the switches between songs seamless and Nile’s own anecdotes priceless.
Dianna Ross, Sister Sledge and Madonna keep the disco rolling whist the crowd grooves along. It’s odd in a way that the only real lull comes when he plays Beyonce’s ‘CUFF IT’ which just sounds like a bad take on the music of previous generations. He won a grammy for that though. Niles tells us and for a brief moment that makes you wonder about the state of music today. That I guess is why we’re so damn happy to be here – to celebrate the music of the golden years!
I’m not sure whether it’s the Duran Duran, the Bowie, or the cool segue back into more Chic and Sister Sedge that gets the most rapturous applause but I’m calling a tie between Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ and the wonderful moment of fusion that ends tonight’s show when we get a wonderful mash of Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Rappers Delight’ and Chic’s own ‘Good Times’ (the song the former ripped off) it’s pretty close to the perfect way to close what was a wonderful night.
If this show comes to your town, it’s one you shouldn’t miss, but beware you need to pack your dancing trousers.
