Nile Rodgers and CHIC – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax
By Steve Crabtree, August 2025
After walking through those massive Piece Hall gates 15 times this year, I knew this one was going to be a special one. It was a Friday night, the end of the working week, and also the end of another staggering summer season in Halifax. Since James kicked things off back in early June, there’s been 36 shows in total. And that’s some going!
For this final bow, the powers that be had brought back a familiar face – Nile Rodgers, for the fourth time in just a few years. For me, it would be the fifth time seeing him overall. Third time here, and two unforgettable gigs in Scarborough, and I’ve never had a bad night in his company. So expectations were high. CHIC shows mean disco, soul, dancing, and good times – and that’s exactly what this Halifax crowd were here for.
“Funk load of funk”
My wife and I got in just after Brand New Heavies had started their support set, and they were fantastic. I was a bit of a fan of them for a while in the 90s when they had a string of chart hits – but somehow, this was my first time seeing them live. It won’t be my last.
They were loud, and brought more than just warm up to the place. It was funk load of funk, and there were plenty of moments where the crowd remembered just how many hits the Heavies had. From ‘Midnight at the Oasis’ and ‘Dream On Dreamer’ to ‘You Are the Universe’, ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Heat’ – they had people singing along and dancing before the sun had even fully gone down.
It set us up perfectly. And with smiles everywhere, we were all ready for the biggest disco in Halifax.
“A wallop of Disc”
Rodgers and CHIC walked out to a massive cheer and wasted no time starting up the party. Over the years I’ve become used to them opening with ‘CHIC Cheer’, but not this time. They surprised us by diving straight into ‘Le Freak’ – encouraging us all to warm up our voices for the night with the “Ahhhh… FREAK OUT!” line. It was glorious!
A medley of ‘Everybody Dance’, ‘Dance Dance Dance’, and ‘I Want Your Love’ followed that up, giving us a wallop of disco that ensured there wasn’t a single person standing still.
There were a few changes to the usual CHIC run this time too. Rather than animations and visual graphics on the screen behind the band, we got a live camera feed from the stage, with the gig being live streamed. The Piece Hall’s intimate enough that you don’t need screens to see what’s going on, but I’ll admit, I enjoyed the close-ups from time to time.
Rodgers himself was a little snappier in his storytelling than usual. Known for his anecdotes between tracks, he kept things more succinct this year, and it really helped keep the feeling flowing.
“Billions of dollars worth of hit after hit”
If you didn’t already know, every song Nile Rodgers plays is either a CHIC hit, or a tune written or produced by him. And that means billions of dollars worth of hit after hit.
We were spoiled with the likes of ‘I’m Coming Out’ and ‘Upside Down’ from Diana Ross, ‘He’s the Greatest Dancer’ and ‘We Are Family’ by Sister Sledge, and a pairing of Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ and ‘Material Girl’. Add to that ‘Modern Love’ by David Bowie, and it was already a party before we were even halfway through.
All these hits, all this quality music – and everyone couldn’t help but sing, dance, and get fully into the mood that only a Nile Rodgers and CHIC gig can bring.
They also performed ‘CUFF IT’, the Beyoncé hit (one I wasn’t familiar with), and followed it up with ‘Thinking of You’ and ‘Spacer’.
But the moment of the night for me came when they launched into my favourite CHIC track – ‘My Feet Keep Dancing’. That groove, that cool vibe, that bassline. I absolutely loved their live version.
“Masterstroke”
Ralph Rolle, CHIC’s long-serving drummer, did his usual crowd-pleasing routine before taking lead vocals for another Bowie favourite – ‘Let’s Dance’. And Rodgers, flanked by vocalists Audrey Martells and Naomi Rodgers (no relation), delivered hit after hit. Their vocal value throughout the night was incredible. And, as always, there was a nice tribute to legendary bass player Bernard Edwards. His shoes respectfully filled by the fantastic Jerry Barnes.
The grand finale couldn’t have been more fitting. Ending the night – and the summer – with ‘Good Times’ was a masterstroke. Everyone in the Piece Hall was dancing, singing, and waving their arms to one of the most iconic party tracks of all time.
As the final note rang out, the big screen lit up with a huge “THANK YOU HALIFAX”, and the stage lights burst into a glittering farewell display. Alex and I were all disco’d out, even if we could have done it all again straight away.
You couldn’t help but feel it – this was the right act for the final bow of the year. Rodgers is a cheerful bloke, a soulful bloke and a grateful human being too. And as for talent…there are no words. My joint favourite gig of the summer, but then I knew it would be right up there.
So that’s it for another Piece Hall summer, and it’s been an absolute ride. What a show. What a season. Bands for everyone in 2025, and word is that over 30 gigs are already in the works for next year.
Images: Cuffe & Taylor and The Piece Hall
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
