It was Friday the 13th and a full moon hung over streets filled with gloomy crowds of face-painted Spaniards out for Dutch blood; the post FIFA world cup atmosphere was tense and needed defusing, so who you gonna call?
NILE RODGERS!
I defy you to have any encounter with Nile Rodgers and not come out smiling. Even before the Chic performance at the Hard Rock Hotel opening party Rodgers was out on stage with his trusty camera taking snaps of support act Masters at Work on the decks and of the adoring crowd in front of him. He puts you in a good mood because he clearly appreciates the fans just as much as we appreciate him – and appreciation is what it's all about.
After a few seasons it's easy to become complacent about the quality and abundance of great music in Ibiza, but I can assure you I fully appreciated the moment during my five minute scooter ride down the road to a spanking new outpost of the global rock-hotel institution that is Hard Rock, to get my disco on with one of the most popular and positive influences on contemporary music in the world. Must remember not to complain about anything ever.
I arrived in time to catch a great ceremony to commemorate the Hard Rock opening; forget a neat little ribbon cut, this was an official guitar smash! Who cares if it's a little contrived? It was totally rock'n'roll. After the guitar shards had been cleared (clean-up slightly less rock'n'roll), it was time for the next act. The disco-pop era is hugely popular these days and support DJs Masters at Work were hitting all the right notes with tracks like Michael Jackson's Love Never Felt So Good inciting sing-a-longs throughout. It was exactly the right mood, but all the same I can't help but think that a live band in support might have been even more appropriate for the Hard Rock opening.
Nile Rodgers and Chic took to the stage at 11:30 amidst squeals of approval and camera flashes, indulging in a moment of freeze before swinging straight into Everybody Dance (written for Chic). The crowd had its orders, and obeyed. After the first track Rodgers reminded us that every single song we would hear tonight was written by him; seems like an obvious thing to say until you hear the tracklist, which includes hits from every manner of popstar young and old. A cheeky jamming session in I Want Your Love (written for Chic) was an early highlight, with the brass section swirling and the bass strutting around the low end of the song like nobody's business.
Vocalist Kimberley Davis' lungs were absolutely off the scale in We Are Family (written for Sister Sledge) and yet in Chic, the vocals are just another instrument in a band made up of equally important components. It's hard to pick standouts in a set where every song is a classic performed by an extremely talented, well-rehearsed and charismatic troupe, but Lady (written for Mojo), Lost In Music (written for Chic) and Like A Virgin “ooh!” (written for Madonna) were my personal pick of the bunch thus far.
It only got better from there however, with an enchanting introduction to Get Lucky (written for Daft Punk) featuring vocals and luscious keyboard which later clicked into party mode with Rodgers now famous guitar hook. You know they're good when a song you've heard so many times you think you might stick a fork in your eyeball if you hear it again sounds bloody brilliant. There were fireworks and cheeky fire squirts towards the end of the show, plus a great confetti boom moment, but the music required little fan fare. The Chic drummer Ralph Rolle hit the mic to perform vocals on his favourite song of the band's repertoire, Let's Dance (written for David Bowie). Nile Rodgers outed him as having a mild form of multiple personality disorder “thinks he's Bowie…” but you know he did sound eerily like him. Looks, not so much.
For the final song of the night Rodgers drew some old friends from the side of stage shadows, enlisting none other than Sister Sledge and the original Chic vocalists to assist him for this final tune. As soon as the first notes of Good Times (written for Chic) sounded there was a mini stage invasion and the stage become an absolute riot of singers, dancers, moshers, instrumentalists and a few drips on the side filming the action with their phones – get involved people! There were solos galore, including some delectable bass licks and an interlude of Rapper's Delight (I know all the words).
It's hard to go wrong with a band as fun as Chic, but the spacious, open air setting of Hard Rock made it an even sweeter experience. Here's to more great live gigs at Hard Rock, more disco dancing sessions, and better luck for Spain in the world cup.
WORDS | Jordan Smith PHOTOGRAPHY | Hard Rock Hotel
