NILE RODGERS & CHIC // THE PLAYHOUSE, EDINBURGH
THE LEGENDARY NILE RODGERS AND CHIC ROCK THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
★★★★☆ (4/5)
NILE RODGERS & CHIC PERFORMING AT HALIFAX’S PIECE HALL
PHOTOCREDIT: ALEX BROWN
The audience cheered as Nile Rodgers and the CHIC Organisation took to the stage at Edinburgh’s Playhouse Theatre, normally a seated venue, but with fans on this occasion encouraged to get up and sway to the beat. As Nile quipped, “We play dance music. Are you ready to party?”, a steady stream of CHIC’s dance hits followed, including the aptly named Everybody Dance and number one hits le Freak, Dance, Dance, Dance and I Want Your Love.
The music of Nile Rodgers has defined decades and he is indeed a man of exceptional talent. Not only is he a songwriter, album producer, composer of film music and a guitarist, having been placed seventh on a list of the 250 greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023, he has written and produced songs for so many other well known artistes; Duran Duran, Madonna, Diana Ross, Beyonce, Sister Sledge, Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga, to name but a few.
Referring to his very first recording with Luther Vandross and Luther teaching him about gang vocals, Nile encouraged the audience to join in with the big choruses. Of course, the Scottish audience took this literally to heart and when Nile remarked on enjoying his chance to perform in Scotland, the crowd launched into a rendition of No Scotland, No Party, the unofficial Tartan Army Euro 2024 song.
The well loved hits kept coming with expressive vocals from CHIC’s Audrey Martells and Kimberley Davis. I’m Coming Out, the first song Nile wrote for Diana Ross, was quickly followed by Upside Down. The iconic Sister Sledge songs He’s The Greatest Dancer and We Are Family were firm favourites, getting the audience “lost in music”. Madonna’s Like A Virgin and Material Girl, and Duran Duran’s Notorious did indeed bring in that sense of nostalgia.
Nile reflected “A few months ago, something happened for the first time in history. I won, wow! The GRAMMIES awarded me the lifetime achievement award”. This was in addition to winning his fourth GRAMMY at the same 2023 show for Best R&B Song for Beyonce’s CUFF IT. He also spoke warmly of his connections to Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams, with the audience singing along to the infectious lyrics of Get Lucky. The range of artistes he has worked with is phenomenal. David Bowie’s Modern Love and Lets Dance were a real singalong for the crowd.
Those unmistakeable CHIC hits kept flowing; Thinking of You, My Feet Keep Dancing, CHIC Cheer/Love Like This and My Forbidden Lover, while drummer Ralph Rolle drew the audience to rap with him. The last song of the night, Good Times, was indeed a winner, ending on a good note, invoking those feel good emotions. The creative potential of Nile Rodgers, who has sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide, just keeps going. He is nothing short of amazing.