I’ve been a fan of Nile Rodgers forever, not necessarily just for his work with Chic but mainly because of his production work with some of my favorite artists of all time including David Bowie, Duran Duran and INXS. (In recognition of his work with them, and many many others, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and this past summer he became chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame). In July 2016 I got a chance to see Rodgers perform some of his work, including “Le Freak,” when he opened for Duran Duran while they were on tour for their album Paper Gods.

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I had the opportunity and pleasure to see Nile Rodgers perform when he and his band opened for Duran Duran in July 2016 in Minneapolis where he played songs he’s released as well as produced, including “Le Freak” (Chic), “We Are Family” (Sister Sledge) and “Get Lucky” (Daft Punk). Here’s a really crappy photo I took of him at that concert.

And here’s a really good photo of him with Duran Duran. I did not take this one.

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Nile Rogers

Then Duran Duran hit the stage and the dancing just kept going. I took a few video clips but spent most of the time soaking in every precious moment of show. Sadly Nick Rhodes was not there but MNDR did a stellar job of stepping in to the role. They played “Wild Boys,” “Planet Earth,” “Space Oddity,” “White Lines,” “Sunrise,” “New Moon on Monday” and “Save a Prayer” when the venue was lit in purple as a nod to Prince. We had really great seats, Row 20 and I boogied down the whole show.  I am very very short and it is inevitable that the tallest guy at any concert will be sitting/standing in front of me. The Duran concert was no exception. I usually get pretty bummed out or pissed off, depending on my mood, but the tallest guy at the concert in front of me was SO EXCITED to be there and danced, sang and shrieked as much as my friends and I that I really didn’t mind. In fact he, along with the rest of the crowd on the floor, were so full of fun energy that the night was just beautiful all around.

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The Power Station “Some Like It Hot” 1985. 45 rpm b/w “The Heat Is On” (instrumental version of “Some Like It Hot”). Their debut single, it reached #6 on the Billboard charts in the US and #14 in the UK. Named after The Power Station recording studio, they were one of my favorite supergroups of the 80′s, featuring Duran Duran’s John Taylor and Andy Taylor, plus Robert Palmer and Chic’s Tony Thompson and Bernard Edwards. The video is very 80′s weird: neon makeup, leggings and graphics, John and Andy in quasi-western gear (seriously – a bolo tie, John?), a woman shaving her pits, Robert Palmer in priest’s vestments. But it’s funky and suave and rocking and will heat you up.

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