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It was an unusual one as Will Smith<\/strong> came to Cardiff with Nile Rodgers and Chic<\/strong> and Radio 1s Rickie and Melvin<\/strong> in tow.<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n But I had a great time.<\/span><\/p>\n First up, Rickie and Melvin<\/strong> had the crowd engaging with a range of tracks from the likes of Nicki Minaj<\/strong> and Rihanna<\/strong> to Neil Diamond, The Killers<\/strong> and ABBA<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n Last time I saw a \u2018DJ\u2019 support a band I was thoroughly disappointed as there was minimal engagement with the crowd, but Rickie and Melvin<\/strong> flipped that on its head and were constantly engaged, helping to get the crowd pumped up.<\/span><\/p>\n I liked Nile Rodgers and Chic<\/strong>\u2019s entrance with the Star Wars writing and voiceover to introduce them. It was interesting to hear a mix of songs by Chic<\/strong> and also tracks written by Rodgers<\/strong> for other people, including Get Lucky, Like a Virgin<\/em> and Material Girl<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n It was a set I thoroughly enjoyed, even though I wasn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n Now admittedly it seemed to empty out a bit ahead of Will Smith<\/strong>\u2019s headline show, I\u2019m guessing some dedicated Nile Rodgers<\/strong> fans didn\u2019t 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<\/strong> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect other than a few tracks and was hoping for the Fresh Prince of Bel Air<\/em> theme (which we got twice, once with and once without music, with the fans screaming back every word). But it was a 90s kid\u2019s haven of nostalgia as he powered through various tracks I\u2019d forgotten he sung (like Miami<\/em> and Wild Wild West<\/em>) as well as the classics of Getting Jiggy Wit It, Men in Black<\/em> and Summertime<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n There was a lovely, emotional tribute to James Avery<\/strong> (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<\/strong> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n Will<\/strong>\u2019s 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<\/em> for the \u2018true\u2019 Fresh Prince fans as he called them), and a crew of talented dancers really added to the night.<\/span><\/p>\n 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<\/em> and of course the suits for Men in Black<\/em>).<\/span><\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t all about Will<\/strong> though, we had a \u2018mixtape\u2019 medley of some of the classic hip hop songs including Jump Around<\/em> by House Of Pain<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n 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 \u2018awwhing\u2019 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\u2019s clear from the sentiment in the crowd that he does just that.<\/span><\/p>\n He also showed off some new songs including You Can Make It<\/em> and Work of Art<\/em>, which was nice to get a glimpse into the later stuff.<\/span><\/p>\n