I am not a regular at festivals, especially with my rampaging hayfever… but when the mister got free tickets to go to the Heart FM / Barclaycard sponsored event I was excited to go and see what all the fuss was about.
I knew that J-Lo and Lionel Richie were headlining and in all honesty neither of them were my favourites but the real blessing of attending the event was Nile Rogers and Chic who in my opinion should have been headlining.
We arrived at Hyde Park Corner, with tickets in hand only to find that the general admissions entrance was on the other side of the park, so with a spring in out step and an ice-cream in had we made our way across whilst Stooshe were doing their set.
We found out spot in time to hear Eliza Doolittle sing tracks from her new album along with her popular songs.
Then it was time for the main event – Chic
They were amazing
The band was tight.
the Vocalists were AMAZING singing songs from their back catalogue as well as tracks that Nile had written for other artists including Sister Sledge and Diana Ross. There was a special guest appearance from Simon Le Bon for a funked up rendition of Notorious. There were also significant sound issues as the amplifier overheated and the mikes stopped working.
But after about twenty minutes it was resolved , with Nile saying ‘I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and this had never happened before’. Then it was on to J-Lo in printed leotard and spangley belt, looking like Beyoncé’s older sister with cascades of wavy blonde hair, a crew of male dancers and a dance routine to keep the crowds entertained.
We didn’t stay for Lionel as he was on pretty late and work commitments the following day required an early night… but overall my first ‘festival’ experience was a good one…. but there really is nothing like an intimate venue to see and hear your favourite artists perform.