When the Greenwich Summer Sounds festival kicked off with Nile Rogers & CHIC, the festival had to contend with brutal weather. Ponchos and waterproofs could not see off the worst of the rain.
There was no poncho or waterproof in sight for the third day of music. People could be free to bask in the sun. It was, therefore, more accessible for the first support act DJ Spoony to warm up and galvanise the crowd than it was for MistaJam on the opening night. Nonetheless, DJ Spoony read the crowd’s tastes and brought positive summer festival vibes to Greenwich.
The primary support came from Ellie Sax. While Sax, with an accompanying DJ, continued to maintain crowd momentum, most of the dance hits she played on saxophone were too similar to DJ Spoony’s material. Furthermore, Ellie Sax seldom delved into jazz territory. This would have allowed her to play more extended and less structured chords. However, the crowd awarded Ellie when she delved into indie territory and accompanied her saxophone to Coldplay and The Killer’s hits.
The Black Eyed Peas opened their set with “Let’s Get It Started”. With such a catchy and infectious hit, Greenwich did not need warming up. The only difference to the original was that the band omitted the word “retarded”. The equally infectious “Boom Boom Pow” in its original glory followed. Following a couple of songs from their 2020 LP Translation, the crowd elevated to a new level of ecstasy when the Black Eyed Peas performed “Pump It”. The power of using an eighties halcyon sample to a more contemporary beat was demonstrated when the live four-piece performed “The Time (Dirty Bit)”. The film “Dirty Dancing” was on people’s minds.
The Black Eyed Peas also used this live set to celebrate some of the hits will.i.am has had to date as a solo artist. The best received was “Scream & Shout”. The original promotional video featuring Britney Spears played in the background. However, Black Eyed Peas female band member J. Rey Soul did not sing Spears’ segments. The band also played snippets of covers, including Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ and Chic’s “Good Times”.
The proudest moment for the Black Eyed Peas must have been when they played “Where Is the Love?” There was seldom a phone left in a pocket. Phone torches and flame apps waved in collective harmony. Some went old school and used actual lighters. The Black Eyed Peas played out with “I Gotta Feeling” using the original lyrics. The multicultural crowd delighted in singing “Fill my Cup, Mazel Tov”.
Whilst the crowd would have enjoyed more hits played in their entirety instead of shortened snippets and a longer set than sixty minutes, one must salute the Black Eyed Peas for bringing a diverse crowd of music lovers together and getting them to unite for their universal love of music. The weather helped too.
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