Good Times
Legendary guitarist and company deliver 30-minute set of Rodgers-penned classics, from “Le Freak” to “Let’s Dance” and “Get Lucky” to “Soul Glo”
Nile Rodgers and Chic brought the “maximum funkocity” to NRP’s Tiny Desk, delivering a half-hour set of classics from both the Chic catalogue and songs co-written by Rodgers himself.
The set opened with Chic’s “Le Freak,” and from there went on to feature Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out, Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family,” Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” (all co-written by Rodgers), Chic’s own “Good Times” interpolated with the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” and concluded with the David Bowie/Rodgers collabo “Let’s Dance.”
(Before “Get Lucky,” Chic also threw in a brief nod to “Soul Glo,” the Coming to America faux-commercial that earned its own Rolling Stone oral history.)
Despite the small crowd of co-workers, Rodgers added some audience participation to the performance during Chic’s take on Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out,” telling those in the room watching to sing the chorus on his cue. “We’re in Washington, D.C. You people are supposed to be reasonably intelligent, you know what the word ‘Sing’ means, right?” Rodgers said. “So you should instinctively know what to do.”
Rodgers, one of Rolling Stone’s 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, most recently reunited with Duran Duran on “Black Moonlight” from the band’s Halloween-inspired new album Danse Macabre.