Chaka Khan, Chic bring bank memories

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Music review

Chaka Khan and Chic, Friday night at Summer Nights at the Pier, Pier 62/63, Seattle waterfront.

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Pier 62/63 turned into the biggest outdoor disco in Seattle Friday night, when Chaka Khan and Chic opened what may be the last season of Summer Nights at the Pier. The weather was cloudy and cool, but the good-sized crowd kept warm by dancing almost nonstop to the two disco greats.

Khan showed she still packs a lot of power with a hit-filled set of impressive vocal workouts and tender ballads. But the seldom-seen Chic practically stole the show with a tight, well-played set that served as a reminder of how many dance-floor hits the band had, and the class it brought to disco.

Superstar guitarist-songwriter-producer Nile Rodgers (who formed Chic with Bernard Edwards, who died in 1996) led the nine-piece band through extended versions of disco classics, including "Le Freak," "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)," "I Want Your Love," "Everybody Dance" and "Good Times."

Some of the many hits Rodgers wrote and produced for others were also featured, including "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down," both key songs in Diana Ross' solo career, and the anthemic "We Are Family," the indelible smash by Sister Sledge.

Chic popularized many dance-music staples that still can be heard, in various forms, in today's hip-hop and rap, making the set seem almost contemporary. Spoken-word passages in rhyme - now called rap - were part of Chic's songs, and the band was one of the first to use the now ubiquitous "Raise your arms in the air and wave 'em like you just don't care" chant, back in the '70s.

Khan, still sporting a huge explosion of dark-red curls, led a nine-piece band through highlights of her career, going back to the funk band Rufus in the mid-'70s.

She kicked off the set with a natural, "Once You Get Started," and kept up the energy with "What Cha Gonna Do For Me."

"Tell Me Something Good," the funk gem Stevie Wonder wrote for Rufus, was a highlight, and so was the sexy "I Feel For You" written for Khan by the man she called "his royal highness, Prince."

Khan was a powerful belter, but she also displayed a tender way with a ballad in her slow-funk version of "My Funny Valentine."

The Seattle Aquarium, next door to the concert site, is eyeing Pier 62/63, now a city park, for its expansion plans. Nothing is certain yet, but it would be a shame to lose what has become one of Seattle's favorite outdoor concert venues.