It’s a sure-fire bet that the Easter long weekend will bring a few exceptional gigs to Melbourne, which is widely considered the live music capital of Australia. This year is no exception, and ahead of appearances scheduled at Bluesfest and in Sydney, Chaka Khan gave Melbourne the first taste of her current show, which celebrates her 50th anniversary in the business.
Detroit DJ Marcellus Pittman got the party started by mixing up soul, R&B and funk from all the usual suspects of the genre, including George Clinton, Prince and Earth, Wind & Fire. The crowd cheered and danced along as Pittman meandered through timeless classics. Pittman’s set had a slow-burn build that gradually built a funky vibe and got the fans excited to see Khan.
Naturally, Khan continued to build the anticipation in the room by delaying her appearance on stage with a short video that featured high praise for her work and celebrated her many achievements. Fans cheered as Michelle Obama, Grace Jones, and Joni Mitchell extolled her virtues. They nearly lost their minds when Prince appeared on screen.
In old concert footage, he introduced her to the stage, and as if by magic, she appeared on stage to a huge roar of approval. Capitalising on the excitement in the room, Khan and her band burst into a wildly energetic version of This Is My Night. The tune is taken from her debut solo album, I Feel For You, which saw Khan embrace eighties synth pop to deliver a hugely influential and forward-thinking take on R&B.
Khan captivated the crowd with the first song. As we watched her, it seemed hardly possible that she could be a septuagenarian. At about the same age, Cyndi Lauper has called it quits, but Khan shows no sign of slowing down. Building energetic party vibes takes effort, and Khan bounces on stage in a sparkly black outfit, wearing a huge grin on her face, for almost two hours.
The crowd are on their feet to dance the night away from the moment Khan hits the stage. Her wild mane of disco-frizzed hair is still signature, but key to tonight’s show, Khan’s powerhouse vocals remain undiminished. Mama is still a belter, and there are no concessions for her age going on here.
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Tonight’s setlist leans into Khan’s work with Rufus. Do You Love What You Feel drops a luscious disco soul vibe, and Tell Me Something Good drops deliciously deep funky vibes. Everlasting Love slows the pace with a luscious, soulful groove that just feels real good. A looser and groovier than usual cover of Prince’s I Feel For You puts the spotlight on Khan’s backing vocalists, who keep it tight and sing in pitch-perfect unison throughout the show.
Their voices blend perfectly with Khan’s, and at times, they do some of the heavy lifting and deliver the hooks. It is a case of fingers crossed that those rumours Khan is about to release an album of unreleased songs she recorded with Prince, including collaborations with Larry Graham from Sly And The Family Stone, are true.
Often dubbed ‘the Queen of Funk,’ there are deep undercurrents of jazz, rock, soul and R&B in the setlist that add complexity and considerable dimension but which broaden out the appeal of these songs. On a setlist studded with songs we have heard many times over the years, it is difficult to pick highlights.
I’m A Woman dealt a heavy funk grind while What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me floated by on a light and breezy tip. It all melts into delectable soulful vibes that feel as smooth as silk with cuts like Sweet Thing and Through The Fire. Khan introduces I Remember U with a sense nostalgia as she contemplates the past and sings the haunting refrain ‘I remember you, please remember me too’.
Khan’s band steps into the spotlight with an extended instrumental break and the obligatory drum solos. They have been playing with machine-like precision all night, and this gives them the opportunity to show off their chops.
Khan returns to the stage for the homerun to the end of the show. She starts with a dreamy cover of My Funny Valentine before introducing Hiatus Kaiyote’s Nai Palm to help her out. Nai Palm is one of the most unique voices to emerge in Australian music and she holds her own in the mix.
Sisters in arms, they powered their way through I Know You, I Live You. Of course, I’m Every Woman and Ain’t Nobody brought the house down and perfectly rounded off an epic evening with the inimitable Chaka Khan. It has taken 23 albums, 10 Grammys and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Khan to distil the past 50 years into a show that isn’t to be missed.
