If anyone needed proof that disco isn’t dead, the sight of thousands of glitter-streaked faces singing into the night with Nile Rodgers & CHIC is as undeniable as it gets. Dressed in a baby pink jacket and his trademark white hat, the 69-year-old turned the concrete expanse of Bristol’s Lloyds Amphitheatre into a giant outdoor dancefloor last night (Thursday, July 14).
Even as someone who is usually more of a self-conscious toe-tapper at gigs, I found myself bouncing along and shimmying and shaking with the best of them, surprised by how many songs I knew all the words to despite not considering myself a dedicated fan. It was the second of two consecutive nights they played as part of the Bristol Beacon Presents series, which ends tonight with Belle and Sebastian, and it had been two years in the making thanks to coronavirus delays.
They opened with the funky baseline of Chic Cheer and smashed out a few more of the Chic classics, including Everybody Dance and I Want Your Love, before the setlist turned to Rodgers’ brimming back catalogue of hits. CHIC singer Audrey Martells did Diana Ross justice with her unfaltering cover of I’m Coming Out, and a string of bangers from Sister Sledge followed.
