Chic feat. Nile Rogers @ Ibiza Rocks 4th September - Review

Image: Ibiza Rocks

This early September saw the return of Chic to the magical island of Ibiza for the second time ever. Ibiza Rocks took the pleasure of hosting the disco legends, fronted by a man who must be recognised as one of the greatest and most diverse producers of all time, Nile Rogers.

Skream was set to support the band with, of course, a disco set, and on the night friend and fellow DJ Jackmaster joined the party as a special guest. We arrived at the outdoor arena club/hotel to find the two spinning an unannounced back to back set of classics and fun tunes such as Stardust’s evergreen 'Music Sounds Better With You' to a busy crowd of all ages, lapping up the happy feel in preparation for the outstanding gig that was to follow.

The crowd roared as Nile Rogers and Chic took to the stage. After an instrumental introduction from the whole band as they found their positions, and a brief welcome to the audience from Rogers the instrumental exploded into 'Everybody Dance'; the crowd gladly followed instruction. What followed was a long list in the form of a showcase of Chic's best tunes and a few surprise renditions of Nile Rogers' very own productions that some might not have known were from him.

After 'I Want Your Love', Rogers addressed the crowd with a bit of background; he explained that all of the tracks they were about to play were very much produced by himself, whether we would have thought it or not. Then followed a few surprises including Mojo's 'Lady' (below) and Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' that had both been produced by the man himself. Nile Rogers' talent clearly spun even further than we could imagine, making it all the more special as we received an important and interesting education.

What had become apparent from the off was just how talented each member of the band is. Kimberley Davis and and Folami Thompson, the vocalists, took it in turns to power through each song, both demonstrating amazing voices in their own right. Solos came throughout the gig from the other band's players with evocative performances from Don Harris on trumpet, Bill Holloman on saxophone, Jerry Barnes on bass (who would later command a “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry” chant from the crowd in light of an outstanding show all the way through), Ralph Rolle on drums; also a dab hand at singing which was clear from his part in David Bowie's 'Let's Dance', and Don Harris on trumpet.

Rogers went on to exclaim how he was playing “his whole life in music” - a royal treat for the excitable audience. The full show was brilliant but highlights would have to include Sister Sledge's 'Lost In Music', 'Freak Out' and Diana Ross' 'Upside Down'. As it all came to a close, Rogers invited fans up on stage for their final track, 'Good Times'. Everybody sung along and disco-danced like it was the last disco track they would ever hear. When it finished, the whole band took the front of the stage and danced to Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky', Rogers' latest project; it was an emotional ending to what had been Ibiza Rocks' (and many individuals of the crowd) best gig up to now.