Nile Rodgers in two words could be described as “the man.” Both the co band-leader/writer of RnB royalty Chic (with late bass great Bernard Edwards), and a gun rhythm-guitar player with a style so signature you can hear him coming a mile away. On top of that, he’s an ace producer to some of pop music’s greatest stars, aiding many of their biggest achievements. His credits include; Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Duran Duran, INXS, Beyonce, and Daft Punk to name a selection. O and yes; he’s a recovered addict and two-time cancer survivor too.
Performing to a capacity Civic Theatre in the centre of Auckland city, Rodgers and his crack eight-piece band took to the stage and delivered a night of ultra-groovy versions of Chic hits and the best of the rest. Sharply dressed in a gold-trimmed suit, Rodgers was in his absolute element, and did not disappoint. Opening with a medley of Chic favourites – ‘Le Freak’, ’Everybody Dance’, ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’, and ‘I Want Your Love’, Rodgers and band straight away sounded so good!
Rodgers explained to a by then captivated audience that he is lesser-known for his vast and award-winning production career (but we all knew), and would direct a percentage of the night through a journey of those highlights. Breaking into a brace of Diana Ross’ tunes ‘I’m Coming Out’ & ‘Upside Down’, the former echoing Chic’s late O.G. drummer TonyThompson’s intro drum flourishes; dancing in the aisles was inevitable. The brass section were up and running; with Brandon Wright and Steve Jankowski also providing the most humorous and economical of dancing techniques.
Sister Sledge were the next to feature, with ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’ and ‘We Are Family’ played back to back. Here, vocalist’s Kimberly Davis and Audrey Martells flanked and complemented Rodgers note-perfectly. Then the Madonna stories came – with ‘Like A Virgin’ and ‘Material Girl’ jostling for back in the day album title and lead single respectively. Bowie’s ‘Modern Love’ got the full-tilt treatment, followed up by ‘Cuff It’ (Beyonce).
With his infectious smile and body language, MVP went to gun bassist Jerry Barnes. Skipping and dancing his way around all parts of the stage, Barnes moves and mileage would be worthy of a Nike Air endorsement. He played up to the crowd, and often joined Rodgers in tandem at the extreme front of stage. The glue.
Daft Punk’s classic ‘Get Lucky’ was a sure-fire favourite, with Rodgers lending his trademark guitar throughout. By now his scratch plate had accumulated sweat condensation – good times. A bonus extra-song from Random Access Memories; ‘Lose Yourself To Dance’, provided yet another dual offer from Rodger’s production stable, as well as the deepest of the nights grooves.
The more obscure ’Spacer’ by French artist Sheila came next, and then it was back to more Chic. ’Soup For One’ segued expertly into Modjo’s ‘Lady (Hear Me Tonight)’, which sampled and sped up a segment of the former. ‘Lost In Music’ gave people more reasons to dance; its lyric “I quit my 9 to 5” delightfully explaining the path musicians must take if they wanna make it.
Rodgers expressed that many of the artists he produced more often than not garnered their most successful records with him. Maybe it’s because he made everything sound soooo good, as Duran Duran’s ’Notorious’ held testament to.
A flurry of Chic/Sister Sledge hits were to follow, leading up to super-solid drummer Ralph Rolle taking charge. He ran the attentive crowd through an exercise the band termed Maximum Funkocity, whereby decibels from call and response cheers and singing were documented to move up through 5 levels of loud to louder. You had to be there for that one. He wasn’t finished, taking the lead vocal for Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, with Rodgers taking a side-seat all the while smiling with gratitude and making prayer gestures.
Fittingly ‘Good Times’ closed off the night, inter-textually referencing ‘Rapper’s Delight’ (The Sugar Hill Gang), while Barnes cheekily threw in some ’Smoke On The Water’ bass transpositions.
The level of joy and enchantment dished out by Rodgers & his stellar band last night was astounding. Call Rodgers a legend, a hit-maker, one of the GOAT’s – they all fit. This was escapism at its finest, and you could bet that all who showed up to see and hear the man were lost in music!
Mike Beck
Photography by Leonie Moreland
Nile Rogers and Chic at The Civic Theatre – 23 October 2023: Review
