Nile Rodgers: Johnny Marr is family to me

10 August 2019, 11:00 | Updated: 10 August 2019, 11:01

The Chic legend pays tribute to the Manchester guitarist at an amazing show as part of his Meltdown festival.

Nile Rodgers paid a heartfelt tribute to Smiths legend Johnny Marr when introducing him onstage at London’s Royal Festival Hall, calling him “my dearest friend in the world!”

The producer and leader of the Chic Organization is the curator of this year’s Meltdown Festival in London, and his old friend Marr headlined a packed-out show at London’s Southbank.

Introducing Marr onstage, Rodgers said: “I don’t know what to say about this next performer. There are some people in my life that I respect and some people in my life that I love with all my heart.

“Johnny and his family I love beyond that. His family is like my family, he named his son after me, I mean come on! And he’s a damned fine guitar player too, following in his dad’s footsteps!”

Nile Marr joined his father onstage for a selection of songs, including the Smiths classics Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, plus a cover of the song Shack Up, made famous by Factory Records act A Certain Ratio.

Johnny Marr also performed a host of solo tracks including New Town Velocity, Easy Money and Hi Hello, along with a pair of songs by his supergroup with New Order frontman Bernard Sumner, Electronic: Get The Message and Getting Away With It.

Johnny Marr - Meltdown setlist, Royal Festival Hall 8 August 2019

The Tracers
Bigmouth Strikes Again
Armatopia
Day In Day Out
New Dominions
Hi Hello
You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby
Walk Into The Sea
Getting Away With It
Get The Message
Spiral Cities
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (with Nile Marr)
Shack Up (with Nile Marr)
This Charming Man
Easy Money
How Soon Is Now

Encore

Rise
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (with Nile Marr)

Meanwhile, Marr has dropped a brand new single called The Bright Parade, which is available from the usual outlets from today (9 August).

Johnny’s next tour dates include Edinburgh Summer Sessions on Saturday 10 August and Sziget Festival in Hungary on Tuesday 13 August. More info at https://johnnymarr.com/