It was an unusual one as Will Smith came to Cardiff with Nile Rodgers and Chic and Radio 1s Rickie and Melvin in tow.
It was a boiling day and I had no idea what to expect, mainly using it as a chance to be in the same room as the Fresh Prince.
But I had a great time.
First up, Rickie and Melvin had the crowd engaging with a range of tracks from the likes of Nicki Minaj and Rihanna to Neil Diamond, The Killers and ABBA.
Last time I saw a ‘DJ’ support a band I was thoroughly disappointed as there was minimal engagement with the crowd, but Rickie and Melvin flipped that on its head and were constantly engaged, helping to get the crowd pumped up.
I liked Nile Rodgers and Chic’s entrance with the Star Wars writing and voiceover to introduce them. It was interesting to hear a mix of songs by Chic and also tracks written by Rodgers for other people, including Get Lucky, Like a Virgin and Material Girl.
It was a set I thoroughly enjoyed, even though I wasn’t aware of some of the songs. His band and female singers were incredible and had a great vibe that resonated with those in attendance, young and old.
Now admittedly it seemed to empty out a bit ahead of Will Smith’s headline show, I’m guessing some dedicated Nile Rodgers fans didn’t fancy staying for the full night. But there was still a pretty strong crowd as the opening video played showcasing some stats from Will Smith including his box office record, number of records shown and other achievements like being a father and an author as he was introduced to the stage.
I wasn’t sure what to expect other than a few tracks and was hoping for the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme (which we got twice, once with and once without music, with the fans screaming back every word). But it was a 90s kid’s haven of nostalgia as he powered through various tracks I’d forgotten he sung (like Miami and Wild Wild West) as well as the classics of Getting Jiggy Wit It, Men in Black and Summertime.
There was a lovely, emotional tribute to James Avery (Uncle Phil), with a number of clips being played of scenes from Fresh Prince between the two before his picture appeared on screen and Will provided a bit of a spoken tribute to his fatherly skills and the impact he had on his life, with accompaniment from a talented violinist.
Will’s dancing throughout was fun, and a nice reminder of the silliness involved in Fresh Prince (including the Carlton dance whilst he covered Its Not Unusual for the ‘true’ Fresh Prince fans as he called them), and a crew of talented dancers really added to the night.
The Willflix was a nice way to transition through some of his movies and the quick outfit changes were also a nice touch to fall in line (like a cowboy hat and jacket for Wild Wild West and of course the suits for Men in Black).
It wasn’t all about Will though, we had a ‘mixtape’ medley of some of the classic hip hop songs including Jump Around by House Of Pain.
There was clear emotion on his face as he spoke about that Oscars slap and even brought his Oscar out onto the stage for everyone to see, which was nice to see some humility from the star. Earlier in the set he had the crowd ‘awwhing’ by bringing a child from the front up onto the stage to take a photo, and he spoke about wanting to bring positivity and joy to people, which it’s clear from the sentiment in the crowd that he does just that.
He also showed off some new songs including You Can Make It and Work of Art, which was nice to get a glimpse into the later stuff.
All in all, there seemed to be something for everyone to enjoy, and a nice night of nostalgia for this millennial.
