Nile Rodgers and Chic Birmingham O2 main room.
Many, many, many years ago, I was a punk…well I would have been if my Mum had let me. As she would not, I spent most of the late 70’s an early 80’s locked away in my room in a strop. According to my current wife, not much has changed apart from the fact that I now own a shed were I can go and have a strop in.
Anyway, one thing I knew back then was I hated that disco music they played on the radio, for, as the great sage Morrissey once said: “
The music they constantly play, says nothing to me about my life.” Indeed, I only ever went to one, non school disco: Eltons in Tottenham High Road sometime around 1979.... I hated it and missed the last 123 bus so had to walk back home across the Marshes. Its strange what you remember.
So it may come as a somewhat of a surprise, Dear Reader, when I inform you that I spent an extremely enjoyable evening last night with Mr Disco himself: Nile Rodgers and his Chic Organisation. “
How comes” you may ask…. Well marrying a beautiful women some 10 years younger than yourself who was brought up in a different musical environment is likely to be the key to solving the puzzle.
On to the gig at the “new” Birmingham Academy. Now I know it’s not actually new, but it was our first time in the main hall after many many many gigs at the sadly missed Hummingbird. Got to say, we were impressed not only by the sight lines, but by the sound: something I often complain about. It was first rate; so well done the sound tech and the buildings designers.
Musically what can you say about Nile Rodgers apart from if it’s a disco song you know, he wrote or produced it: from “
He’s the greatest dancer” to “
Lets dance” and on and on and on. Hit after hit after hit left me somewhat knackered after 2 hours of dancing….or “
middle aged white man shuffling”, as my considerably better half called it. Indeed, I was heard to proclaim after the event that that gig was up there in my top ten favourite gigs of all time….although not as good as my favourite gig EVER…. Morrissey at Stoke Victoria Halls around 1991….. the only time I have ever tried to get on stage…
If you get a chance when he returns to the UK, go and see Nile Rodgers and Chic. Okay, the tickets were nearly £50 each but there are some artistes which you should spend your hard earned on and he is one of them.
